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Comstock Holding Companies, Inc. - Annual Report: 2017 (Form 10-K)

10-K
Table of Contents

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

Form 10-K

 

 

(Mark One)

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017

or

 

TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from                  to                 

Commission file number 001-32375

 

 

Comstock Holding Companies, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

Delaware   20-1164345

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

1886 Metro Center Drive, 4th Floor, Reston, Virginia 20190

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code (703) 883-1700

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of each class

 

Name of each exchange on which registered

Class A common stock, par value $0.01 per share

Preferred Stock Purchase Rights

 

The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC

Nasdaq Capital Market

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

None

 

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.    Yes  ☐    No  ☒

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.    Yes  ☐    No  ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes  ☒    No  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).    ☒  Yes    ☐  No

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§229.405 of this chapter) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K    ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer”, “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (check one)

 

Large accelerated filer      Accelerated filer  
Non-accelerated filer      Smaller reporting company  
     Emerging growth company  

If an emerging growth company, indicate by checkmark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).    Yes  ☐    No  ☒

The aggregate market value of voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates of the registrant based on the last reported sale price of the registrant’s common equity on the Nasdaq Capital Market (“NASDAQ”) on June 30, 2017, which was the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, was $3,472,127. For purposes of this computation, all officers, directors, and 10% beneficial owners of the registrant are deemed to be affiliates. This determination of affiliate status is not necessarily conclusive for other purposes.

As of April 20, 2018, there were 3,374,461 outstanding shares of the registrant’s Class A common stock, par value $0.01 per share, and 220,250 shares of the registrant’s Class B common stock, par value $0.01 per share.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the registrant’s definitive Proxy Statement for the 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders or Annual Report on Form 10-K, to be filed within 120 days after the registrant’s fiscal year ended December 31, 2017, are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Form 10-K.

 

 

 


Table of Contents

COMSTOCK HOLDING COMPANIES, INC.

ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K

For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2017

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

PART I

     1  

Item 1.

  Business      1  

Item 1A.

  Risk Factors      9  

Item 1B.

  Unresolved Staff Comments      18  

Item 2.

  Properties      18  

Item 3.

  Legal Proceedings      19  

Item 4.

  Mine Safety Disclosures      19  

PART II

     19  

Item 5.

  Market for the Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities      19  

Item 6.

  Selected Financial Data      20  

Item 7.

  Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations      20  

Item 7A.

  Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk      25  

Item 8.

  Financial Statements and Supplementary Data      25  

Item 9.

  Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure      25  

Item 9A.

  Controls and Procedures      26  

Item 9B.

  Other Information      26  

PART III

     27  

Item 10.

  Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance      27  

Item 11.

  Executive Compensation      27  

Item 12.

  Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters      27  

Item 13.

  Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence      27  

Item 14.

  Principal Accountant Fees and Services      27  

PART IV

     27  

Item 15.

  Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules      27  

SIGNATURES

     33  

INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

     F-1  


Table of Contents

PART I

CAUTIONARY NOTES REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Some of the statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K include forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “may,” “likely,” “intend,” “expect,” “will,” “should,” “seeks” or other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are based largely on our expectations and involve inherent risks and uncertainties including certain risks described in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. When considering those forward-looking statements, you should keep in mind the risks, uncertainties and other cautionary statements made in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statement, which speaks only as of the date made. Some factors which may affect the accuracy of the forward-looking statements apply generally to the real estate industry, while other factors apply directly to us. Any number of important factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include: general economic and market conditions, including interest rate levels; our ability to service our debt; inherent risks in investment in real estate; our ability to compete in the markets in which we operate; the market conditions in the markets in which we operate; regulatory actions; fluctuations in operating results; our anticipated growth strategies; shortages and increased costs of labor or building materials; the availability and cost of land in desirable areas; adverse weather conditions and natural disasters; our ability to raise debt and equity capital and grow our operations on a profitable basis and our continuing relationships with affiliates.

Many of these factors are beyond our control. For a discussion of factors that could cause actual results to differ, please see the discussion in this Annual Report on Form 10-K under the heading “Risk Factors” in Item 1A.

Item 1. Business

The following business description should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Financial information for each of our reportable segments is included in Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements.

Throughout this annual report on Form 10-K, amounts in thousands, except per share data, number of units, or as otherwise noted.

Overview

Comstock Holding Companies, Inc., incorporated in 2004 as a Delaware corporation, is a multi-faceted real estate development and services company primarily focused in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. In 2018, the Company has made a strategic decision to transform its operational platform from for sale production homebuilding to asset management, commercial development and complementary real estate related services. Moving forward, the Company will operate through two primary real estate focused platforms – CDS Asset Management, LC (“CAM”) and Comstock Real Estate Services, LC (“CRES”). Concurrently, the Company intends to wind down its on-balance sheet production homebuilding. References in this Annual Report on Form 10-K to “Comstock,” “Company”, “CAM”, “CRES”, “we,” “our” and “us” refer to Comstock Holding Companies, Inc. together in each case with our subsidiaries and any predecessor entities unless the context suggests otherwise.

Available Information

We make available, as soon as reasonably practicable, on our website, www.comstockcompanies.com, all of our reports required to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). These reports can be found on the “Investor Relations” page of our website under “SEC Filings” and include our annual and quarterly reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q (including related filings in XBRL format), current reports on Form 8-K, proxy statements and amendments to such reports. In addition to our SEC filings, our corporate governance documents, including our Code of Ethics for the Chief Executive Officer and senior financial officers and Code of Conduct applicable to all employees and directors are available on the “Investor Relations” page of our website under “Corporate Governance.”

Our principal executive offices are located at 1886 Metro Center Drive, 4th Floor, Reston, Virginia 20190 and our telephone number is (703) 883-1700. Information on or linked to our website is not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K unless expressly noted.

 

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Table of Contents

Our Business Strategy

Our business strategy to transition to a full-service asset manager and real estate services company involves the initial integration of our existing homebuilding operating platform with the commercial development operating platform of the Chief Executive Officer’s private company and thereafter to grow our assets under management and expand our service based relationships. To anchor our new business focus, on March 30, 2018, the Company entered into an initial Master Asset Management Agreement (“AMA”) effective January 2, 2018, through its CAM subsidiary, with Comstock Development Services, LC (“CDS”), an entity wholly owned by the Chief Executive Officer of the Company. Under the AMA, CDS will pay CAM an annual cost-plus fee in an aggregate amount equal to the sum of (i) the employment expenses of personnel dedicated to providing services to CDS’ private portfolio pursuant to the AMA, (ii) the costs and expenses of the Company related to maintaining the listing of its shares on a securities exchange and complying with regulatory and reporting obligations as a public company, and (iii) a fixed annual payment of $1,000,000 (the “Annual Fee”). In connection with the execution of the AMA, CDS paid CAM a deposit in the aggregate amount of $2,500,000 pursuant to the Agreement that will be credited against the Annual Fee to be paid to CAM in accordance with the Agreement. The initial term of the Agreement will terminate on December 31, 2022 (“Initial Term”). The Agreement will automatically renew for successive additional one-year terms (each an “Extension Term”) unless CDS delivers written notice of non-renewal of the Agreement at least 180 days prior to the termination date of the Initial Term or any Extension Term.

Entering into the initial AMA is part of the Company’s strategic plan to transform its business model from for-sale homebuilding to asset management and commercial development. In addition to the AMA, CRES continues to organically grow and pursue acquisitions of businesses and assets that provide supply chain services to assets under management pursuant to AMA as well as to unrelated third parties in the areas of environmental consulting, mortgage brokerage, and capital market services.

We believe that we have several strengths that distinguish our updated business strategy:

 

    Revenue Base. Our revenues are primarily from recurring fees earned under the AMA, operations of CRES businesses and acquisitions and the buildout of the remaining projects under the homebuilding platform. The AMA provides a reliable source of revenue and cashflow to cover the Company’s operating expenses, positioning the Company to enhance bottom line results and growth.

 

    Management Services. Our experienced asset management team provides management services to a wide range of real estate assets and businesses that include a variety of commercial real estate uses, including apartments, hotels, office buildings, commercial garages, leased lands, retail stores, mixed-use developments, and urban transit oriented developments. We have significant experience with construction, development, property and asset management services. The properties and businesses we currently manage are located primarily along the Dulles Corridor section of the Washington DC Metro Silver Line in Fairfax and Loudoun Counties.

 

    Real Estate Services. Our experienced real estate services based management team provides a wide range of real estate services in the areas strategic corporate planning, capital markets, brokerage services, and environmental and design based services. Our environmental services group provides consulting, environmental studies, remediation services and provide site specific solutions for any project that may have an environmental impact, from environmental due diligence to site-specific assessments and remediation. This business line not only allows us to generate positive fee income from our highly qualified personnel but also serves as a potential catalyst for joint venture and acquisition opportunities.

 

    Homebuilding. We will continue to develop, construct, and build out the Company’s existing homebuilding projects (more particularly identified below); the winding down of this on balance sheet business segment being largely accomplished by the last quarter of 2018 or the first quarter of 2019. We anticipate residual land development activities and finished lot sales to regional or national homebuilders continuing beyond 2019 and the Company may engage in homebuilding activities from time to time if self-performance of our residual lot pipeline is deemed the best financial alternative. Any future homebuilding activities is expected to be provided off balance sheet on an asset management basis.

 

    Quality and Depth of Management. We have a highly qualified and experienced management team providing a broad base of deep expertise and a proven track record to our clients. The combination of the new platforms leverage the diverse capabilities and relationships of the management teams of two companies developed over more than thirty years.

 

    Alignment of Interests. We believe our new business strategy fosters a strong economic alignment of interests with our shareholders due to our Chief Executive Officer’s large economic interest in the Company and in the portfolio being managed by the initial AMA. Additionally, the integration of the two operating platforms provides opportunities for additional operational efficiencies and management alignment.

These business units work in concert to leverage the collective skill sets of our organization. The talent and experience of our personnel allows workflow flexibility and a multitasking approach to managing various projects. We believe that our business network in the mid-Atlantic market provides us with a competitive advantage in sourcing and executing investment opportunities.

 

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Table of Contents

Our Operations

We believe that we are properly staffed for current market conditions and that we have the ability to manage growth as market conditions warrant. Our operations are focused mainly in the mid-Atlantic region, where we believe our over 30 years of experience provides us the best opportunity to enhance stockholder value.

Our Managed Communities

Reston Station. Reston Station is among the largest mixed-use, transit oriented developments in the Washington, D.C. region. Located at the terminus of phase I of Metrorail’s Silver Line, Reston Station is already home to more than 1,000 residents, numerous businesses, multiple retail establishments, and several restaurants. With more than 1 million square feet of completed and stabilized buildings, more than 2 million square feet of additional development in various states of entitlement, development and construction, and a 3,500-space underground parking garage and transit facility adjacent to the Wiehle Reston-East Metro Station, the Company is providing a wide variety of its real estate management services to the project under the AMA. For more information about Reston Station, visit: www.RestonStation.com.

Loudoun Station. Loudoun Station represents Loudoun County’s first Metrorail connected development and has approximately 700,000 square feet of mixed-use development completed, including hundreds of rental apartments, approximately 150,000 square feet of retail, restaurants, and entertainment venues, 50,000 square feet of Class-A office space, and a 1,500-space commuter parking garage. Loudoun Station represents Loudoun County’s beginning transformation into a transit connected community with direct metro rail connectivity to Dulles International Airport, Reston, Tysons Corner, and downtown Washington, D.C. Located at the terminus of Metrorail’s Silver Line and with more than 2 million square feet of additional development stated for Loudoun Station; construction of its next phase of apartments and commercial space will commence in the second quarter of 2018, with the Company providing a variety of its real estate management services to the project under the AMA. For more information about Loudoun Station, visit: www.LoudounStation.com.

Herndon. On November 1, 2017, a subsidiary of CDS entered into an agreement to acquire, develop, and construct a mixed-use project in downtown Town of Herndon. The project upon completion is anticipated to consist of approximately 500,000 square feet of mixed use development. The Company will provide a variety of its real estate management services to the project under the AMA.

Shady Grove Metro. Commencing in the 2nd quarter of 2018, we intend to convey 110 multifamily dwelling units in Rockville, Maryland adjacent to the Shady Grove metro rail station to a joint venture. Thereafter, the Company will provide a variety of real estate management services to the project.

Our Recent Acquisitions to Perform Services

On July 17, 2017, JK Environmental Services, LLC (“JK”), an entity wholly owned by CDS Capital Management, L.C., a subsidiary of the Company, purchased all of the business assets of Monridge Environmental, LLC pursuant to an Asset Purchase Agreement dated July 14, 2017 for a purchase price of Two Million Forty Thousand Dollars ($2,040,000). JK has its principal office located in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, and operates in Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. JK will continue to operate as an environmental services company, providing consulting, remediation, and other environmental services to its clients.

 

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Our Developed Communities

We are currently operating, or developing homebuilding projects in multiple counties throughout the Washington, D.C. market. The following table summarizes certain information for our owned or controlled communities as of December 31, 2017:

 

     Pipeline Report as of December 31, 2017  

Project

   State      Product
Type (1)
     Estimated
Units at
Completion
     Units
Settled
     Backlog (8)      Units
Owned
Unsold
     Units
Under
Control (2)
     Total Units
Owned,
Unsettled and
Under Control
     Average
New
Order
Revenue
Per Unit
to Date
(in 000’s)
 

City Homes at the Hampshires

     DC        SF        38        38        —          —          —          —        $ 747  

Townes at the Hampshires (3)

     DC        TH        73        73        —          —          —          —        $ 551  

Estates at Falls Grove

     VA        SF        19        19        —          —          —          —        $ 545  

Townes at Falls Grove

     VA        TH        110        110        —          —          —          —        $ 304  

Townes at Shady Grove Metro

     MD        TH        36        27        —          9        —          9      $ 583  

Townes at Shady Grove Metro (4)

     MD        SF        3        3        —          —          —          —        $ —    

Momentum | Shady Grove Metro (5)

     MD        Condo        110        —          —          110        —          110      $ —    

Estates at Emerald Farms

     MD        SF        84        84        —          —          —          —        $ 426  

Townes at Maxwell Square

     MD        TH        45        45        —          —          —          —        $ 421  

Townes at Hallcrest

     VA        TH        42        42        —          —          —          —        $ 465  

Estates at Leeland

     VA        SF        24        12        1        11        —          12      $ 451  

Villas | Preserve at Two Rivers 28’

     MD        TH        6        6        —          —          —          —        $ 458  

Villas | Preserve at Two Rivers 32’

     MD        TH        10        10        —          —          —          —        $ 504  

Marrwood East (6)

     VA        SF        35        19        11        5        —          16      $ 641  

Townes at Totten Mews (7)

     DC        TH        40        11        1        28        —          29      $ 558  

The Towns at 1333

     VA        TH        18        4        2        12        —          14      $ 935  

The Woods at Spring Ridge

     MD        SF        21        3        4        14        —          18      $ 692  

Solomons Choice

     MD        SF        56        —          1        55        —          56      $ 621  

Townes at Richmond Station

     VA        TH        104        —          —          —          104        104      $ —    

Condominiums at Richmond Station

     VA        MF        54        —          —          —          54        54      $ —    
        

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

           928        506        20        244        158        422     
        

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

(1) “SF” means single family home, “TH” means townhouse, “Condo” means condominium and “MF” means multi-family.
(2) Under land option purchase contract, not owned.
(3) 3 of these units are subject to statutory affordable dwelling unit program.
(4) Units are subject to statutory moderately priced dwelling unit program.
(5) 16 of these units are subject to statutory moderately priced dwelling unit program.
(6) 1 of these units is subject to statutory affordable dwelling unit program.
(7) 5 of these units are subject to statutory inclusionary zoning program.
(8) “Backlog” means we have an executed order with a buyer but the settlement did not occur prior to report date.

Northern Virginia Market

The Estates at Falls Grove and The Townes at Falls Grove projects are located in northern Prince William County near Centreville, Virginia. The properties were developed as 19 single family homes and 110 condominium townhouses. We closed on all 19 single family homes and 110 condominium townhomes as of September 2017.

The Townes at Hallcrest is a community located in Sterling, Virginia. The property was developed as 42 townhomes. We closed on all 42 townhome units as of February 2017.

The Estates at Leeland is a community located in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The property is being developed as 24 single-family units. As of December 31, 2017, we have closed on 12 units and have 1 unit in backlog. We intend to sell the remaining unsold lots to a homebuilder under a third party land purchase agreement.

Marrwood East is a residential project in Loudoun County, Virginia. The property is being developed as 35 single-family units. We are actively selling in this community and as of December 31, 2017, we have closed on 19 units and have 11 units in backlog.

 

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The Towns at 1333 is a community located in Alexandria, Virginia. The property is being developed as 18 condominium townhome units in this community. We are actively selling in this community and as of December 31, 2017, we have closed on 4 units and have 2 units in backlog.

The Townes at Richmond Station and the Condominiums at Richmond Station are projects located in Prince William County, Virginia. We currently plan to develop 104 townhomes and 54 multi-family lots on this site to sell and deliver to third party homebuilders under land purchase option agreements. Development is expected to commence in Spring 2018.

Maryland

The Estates at Emerald Farms consists of 84 finished single-family lots that we own in a large development of single-family homes in Frederick, Maryland. We closed on all 84 homes as of July 2017.

The Townes at Shady Grove Metro and Momentum | Shady Grove are residential projects in Rockville, Maryland, adjacent to the Shady Grove metro rail station. The projects will be developed as 36 upscale townhomes, 3 single-family homes, and 110 multifamily dwelling units. As of December 31, 2017, we have closed on 30 units, including the 3 single-family units. We are currently processing building permits for the multifamily units.

The Villas | Preserve at Two Rivers 28’ and Villas | Preserve at Two Rivers 32’ projects are active adult communities in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. We constructed a total of 16 villas in these communities. We closed on all 16 units as of April 2017.

The Woods at Spring Ridge is a residential project in Frederick, Maryland. The property is being developed as 21 single-family units. We are actively selling in this community and as of December 31, 2017, we have closed on 3 units and we have 4 units in backlog.

Solomons Choice is a residential project located in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. The property is being developed as 56 single-family units. We are actively selling in this community and as of December 31, 2017, we have 1 unit in backlog.

District of Columbia

The Townes at Totten Mews are located in the Northeast quadrant of Washington, D.C. This property is being developed as 40 townhome units. We are actively selling in this community and as of December 31, 2017, we have closed on 11 units and there was 1 unit in backlog.

With respect to our homebuilding operations, we seek to minimize risk associated with fluctuating market conditions by primarily building pre-sold units and limiting the number of speculative units or “spec units” (units that are under construction without an executed sales contract) held in inventory. In each new community that we develop, we build model homes to demonstrate our products and to house our on-site sales operations. When practical, we execute sale-leaseback transactions on model homes. We limit building spec units in locations where there is a demand for immediate delivery of homes or where a significant number of the units in a multi-family building (such as townhouses or condominiums) have been pre-sold. We believe that by limiting the number of model homes and spec units held in inventory, we reduce our exposure to cyclical fluctuations in market values and minimize costs associated with holding inventory, such as debt service.

 

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Land/Lot Acquisition and Inventory Management

While the Company is transitioning away from homebuilding as a primary revenue source, the Company and its subsidiaries continue to have ongoing homebuilding operations. Historically, we directly acquire almost all of our land and lot positions. We are currently a party to a number of joint ventures, all of which are consolidated in our financial statements.

For our ongoing homebuilding communities, we attempt to mitigate our exposure to real estate inventory risks by:

 

    Managing our supply of land/lots controlled (owned and optioned) based on anticipated future home closing levels;

 

    Monitoring market and demographic trends, housing preferences and related economic developments, based on the quality of schools, new job opportunities and local growth initiatives;

 

    Utilizing land/lot option contracts, where possible;

 

    Seeking to acquire developed lots which are substantially ready for home construction, where possible;

 

    Limiting the size of acquired land parcels to smaller tracts, where possible, and controlling our investments in land acquisition, land development and housing inventory to match the anticipated housing demand;

 

    Generally commencing construction of custom features or optional upgrades on homes under contract only after the buyer’s receipt of mortgage approval and receipt of satisfactory deposits from the buyer; and

 

    Monitoring and managing the number of speculative units built in each community.

Going forward, the Company does not intend to acquire new homebuilding projects on balance sheet and will limit its role to providing a variety of asset management services to homebuilding projects owned by third parties and such projects will not be consolidated on our financial statements.

Land Development and Home Construction

Substantially all of our land development and home construction work is performed by subcontractors. Subcontractors typically are selected after a competitive bidding process and retained for a specific community pursuant to a contract that obligates the subcontractor to complete the scope of work at an agreed-upon price. Agreements with the subcontractors and suppliers generally are negotiated for each community. We compete with other homebuilders for qualified subcontractors, raw materials and lots in the markets where we operate. We employ land development supervisors and construction superintendents to monitor land development and home construction activities, participate in major design and building decisions, coordinate the activities of subcontractors and suppliers, review the work of subcontractors for quality and cost control and monitor compliance with zoning and building codes. In addition, our construction superintendents play a significant role in working with our homebuyers by assisting with option selection and home modification decisions, educating buyers on the construction process and instructing buyers on post-closing home maintenance.

Our home designs are selected or prepared in each of our communities to appeal to the tastes and preferences of local homebuyers. We also offer optional interior and exterior features to allow homebuyers the opportunity to enhance the basic home design and to allow us to generate additional revenue from each home sold. Construction time for our homes depends on the weather, availability of labor, materials and supplies, size of the home, and other factors. We typically complete construction of a home within three to six months.

We typically do not maintain significant inventories of land development or home construction materials, except for work in progress materials for homes under construction. Generally, the construction materials used in our operations are readily available from numerous sources.

 

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Marketing and Sales

We market and sell our homes primarily through commissioned employees. A significant number of our home closings also involve an independent real estate broker representing the buyer. We typically conduct home sales from sales offices and/or furnished model homes in each community. Our sales personnel assist prospective homebuyers by providing floor plans and price information, demonstrating the features and layouts of model homes and assisting with the selection of options and other custom features. We train and inform our sales personnel on the availability of financing, construction schedules, and marketing and advertising plans. As market conditions warrant, to be competitive, we may provide potential homebuyers with one or more of a variety of incentives, including closing cost assistance, discounts and free upgrades.

We market our homes and communities to prospective homebuyers and real estate brokers through electronic media, including email, social networking sites and our company website, as well as brochures, flyers, newsletters and promotional events. We also use billboards, radio, magazine and newspaper advertising as necessary. We attempt to position our communities in locations that are desirable to potential homebuyers and convenient to or visible from local traffic patterns, which helps to reduce advertising costs. Model homes play a substantial role in our marketing efforts, and we expend significant effort and resources to create an attractive atmosphere in our model homes.

We manage inventory to build a limited number of speculative homes in our communities. Speculative homes enhance our marketing and sales efforts to prospective homebuyers who are relocating to these markets, as well as to independent brokers, who often represent homebuyers requiring a home within a short time frame. We determine our speculative homes strategy based on local market factors, such as new job growth, the number of job relocations, housing demand and supply (including new homes), seasonality, current sales contract cancellation trends and our past experience in the local markets. We maintain a low level of speculative home inventory in each community based on our current and planned sales pace, and we monitor and adjust speculative home inventory on an ongoing basis as conditions warrant. Speculative homes help to provide us with opportunities to compete effectively with existing homes available in the market and improve our profits and returns on our inventory of owned lots.

Quality Control

We provide our single-family and townhouse home buyers with a one-year limited warranty covering workmanship and materials. The limited warranty is transferable to subsequent buyers not under direct contract with us and requires that all home buyers agree to the definitions and procedures set forth in the warranty. Typically, we provide our condominium home buyers with a two-year limited warranty, or as required by statute. In addition, we periodically provide structural warranty of longer durations pursuant to applicable statutory requirements. From time to time, we assess the appropriateness of our warranty reserves and adjust accruals as necessary. Based on historical experience and when deemed appropriate by us, we may accrue additional warranty reserves. We require our general contractors and sub-contractors to warrant the work they perform and they are contractually obligated to correct defects in their work that arise during the applicable warranty period. We seek to minimize our risk associated with warranty repairs through our quality assurance program and by selecting contractors with good reputations, sufficient resources and adequate insurance. It is typical that there is a gap in the warranty coverage provided by contractors and by home builders, which we have self-insured in the past. It is our experience that the warranty claims which we have self-insured have not been significant in nature, but we periodically obtain additional insurance to protect against this unquantifiable risk.

Competition

The real estate asset management and services industry is highly competitive. Our growth will depend upon our ability to professionally manage the assets subject to the AMA and to expand our services to new clients in the markets in which we operate on a cost-efficient basis. We compete with other businesses in the real estate management and asset management businesses. Many of these competitors and their clients may have greater technical, marketing and financial resources than we currently provide to our clients. Such competitors may also enjoy competitive advantages that result from, among other things, lower costs of capital, greater business scale and enhanced operating efficiencies. Certain competitors may also be subject to different regulatory requirements or rules that may allow them more flexibility or better access to pursue potential investments and raise capital for themselves or their managed companies. In addition, certain competitors may have higher risk tolerance, different risk assessments or lower return thresholds, which could allow them to consider a broader range of investments and to bid more aggressively for investment opportunities than us. Our ability to continue to compete effectively will depend in large part upon the ability to attract, retain and motivate employees, and we and they regularly must compete with other companies to attract and retain employees.

For our homebuilding operations, we compete primarily on the basis of price, location, design, quality, service and reputation. We compete with small private builders and large regional or national builders. In addition to competing for home buyers and renters, builders compete for construction financing, raw materials and skilled labor. Additionally, under normal market conditions, competition exists within the industry for prime development sites, especially those where developed building lots are available under option lot contracts. We compete with other local, regional and national builders in all of these areas. Many of our competitors have significantly greater financial, sales and marketing and other resources than we have. Some of the national builders that we compete against include Pulte Homes, Beazer Homes, M/I Homes, DR Horton, Toll Brothers, CalAtlantic Homes, NVR, K. Hovnanian and Lennar.

Competition among home builders and multi-family developers is often specific to product types being offered in a particular area. Often we do not find ourselves competing with the large national developers in the urban communities where we develop high-rise and mixed use products. This is primarily because most national builders tend to focus on a narrower range of products than what we offer. We believe this provides us with a distinct advantage in terms of attracting potential home buyers and renters in certain areas. We believe the factors that home buyers consider in deciding whether to purchase or rent from us include the product type, location, value quality, and reputation of the developer. We believe that our projects and product offerings compare favorably on these factors, and we continually strive to maintain our reputation of building quality products.

 

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Governmental Regulation and Environmental Matters

We are subject to various local, state and federal statutes, ordinances, rules and regulations concerning finance, banking, investments, zoning, building design, construction, density requirements and similar matters. We and our competitors may also be subject to periodic delays or may be precluded entirely from developing in certain communities due to building moratoriums or “slow-growth” or “no-growth” initiatives that could be implemented in the future in the states where we operate. Local and state governments also have broad discretion regarding the imposition of development fees for projects in their jurisdiction.

We and our homebuilding competitors are also subject to a variety of local, state and federal statutes, ordinances, rules and regulations concerning protection of the environment. Some of the laws to which we and our properties are subject to may impose requirements concerning development in waters of the United States, including wetlands, the closure of water supply wells, management of asbestos-containing materials, exposure to radon and similar issues. The particular environmental laws that apply to any given community vary based on several factors, including but not limited to the environmental conditions related to a particular property and the present and former uses of the property. These environmental laws may result in delays, may cause us and our competitors to incur substantial compliance related costs, and may prohibit or severely restrict development in certain environmentally sensitive areas. To date, environmental laws have not had a material adverse impact on our operations.

Technology and Intellectual Property

We utilize our technology infrastructure to facilitate the management of our client’s projects and the marketing of our projects. Through our web site, www.comstockcompanies.com, and those of our clients, our multi-family and homebuilding customers and prospective customers receive automatic electronic communications from us on a regular basis. Our corporate marketing directors work with in-house marketing and technology specialists to develop advertising and public relations programs for each project that leverage our technology capabilities. During 2017, we continued utilization of media and internet based marketing platforms, primarily in lieu of print advertisements. We believe that the home buying population will continue to increase its reliance on information available on the internet to help guide its rental and home buying decision. Accordingly, through our marketing efforts, we will continue to seek to leverage this trend to lower per sale marketing costs while maximizing potential sales.

Our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board, Christopher Clemente, has licensed his ownership interest in the “Comstock” brand and trademark to us in perpetuity and free of charge. We routinely take steps, and occasionally take legal action, to protect it against infringement from third parties. Mr. Clemente has retained the right to continue to use the “Comstock” brand and trademark including for real estate development projects in our current or future markets that are unrelated to the Company but excluding products developed as for sale homes.

Although significant changes in market conditions have impacted our seasonal patterns in the past and could do so again in the future, we generally have more homes under construction, close more homes and have greater revenues and operating income in the third and fourth quarters of our fiscal year related to our homebuilding operations. The seasonal activity increases our working capital requirements for our homebuilding operations during the third and fourth quarters of our fiscal year. As a result of seasonal activity, our quarterly results of operations and financial position at the end of a particular fiscal quarter are not necessarily representative of the balance of our fiscal year.

Internet Website

Our internet website address is www.comstockcompanies.com. We make available, free of charge, on our website, our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and amendments to these reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, as soon as reasonably practicable after these forms are filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. The information on or accessible through our website is not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Employees

At December 31, 2017, we had 49 full-time and 2 part-time employees. Our employees are not represented by any collective bargaining agreements and we have never experienced a work stoppage. We believe we have good relations with our employees. With the integration of the new business segments, the number of our employees will increase in 2018.

Executive Officers of the Registrant

Our executive officers and other management employees and their respective ages and positions as of December 31, 2017 are as follows:

 

Name

   Age     

Current Position

Christopher Clemente

     58      Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Christopher Conover

     36      Chief Financial Officer

Jubal R. Thompson

     48      General Counsel and Secretary

Christopher Clemente founded Comstock in 1985 and has been a director since May 2004. Since 1992, Mr. Clemente has served as our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Clemente has over 30 years of experience in all aspects of real estate development and homebuilding, and more than 30 years of experience as an entrepreneur.

Christopher Conover was named our Chief Financial Officer effective September 2016. Prior to that, Mr. Conover served in various positions in the Company, including Corporate Controller. Mr. Conover joined the Company in January 2012 and prior to joining the Company, served seven years in public accounting in assurance services developing extensive experience providing audit and highly technical consulting services for real estate companies of various sizes and asset classes.

 

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Jubal R. Thompson has served as our General Counsel since October 1998 and our Secretary since December 2004. Mr. Thompson has significant experience in the areas of real estate acquisitions and dispositions, real estate and corporate finance, corporate governance, mergers and acquisition and risk management.

Item 1A. Risk Factors

Risks Relating to Our Lines of Business

Our business is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. Prospective investors should carefully consider the risks described below, together with all of the other information in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The risks described below may not be the only risks we face but are risks we believe may be material at this time. Additional risks that we do not yet know of, or that we currently think are immaterial, may also impair our business operations or financial results. If any of the events or circumstances described below occurs, our business, financial condition or results of operations and the trading price of our securities could decline. Investors and prospective investors should consider the following risks, the information contained under the heading “Warning Concerning Forward Looking Statements” and the risks described elsewhere in this Annual Report before deciding whether to invest in our securities.

During fiscal year 2017, in conjunction with our transformation of our business platform model from for-sale homebuilding to commercial development, asset management and real estate services, we identified deficiencies that in the aggregate constituted a material weakness in our internal controls over financial reporting. If we are unable to develop, implement and maintain effective internal controls in future periods, our ability to produce accurate and timely financial statements could be impaired and investors’ views of us could be harmed.

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and SEC rules require that management report annually on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting and our disclosure controls and procedures. Among other things, management must conduct an assessment of internal control over financial reporting to allow management to report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, as required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes- Oxley Act. Based on management’s assessment, we concluded that our internal controls over financial reporting were not effective as of December 31, 2017. The specific material weakness and remediation measures are described in Item 9A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim consolidated financial statements would not be prevented or detected. As with any material weakness, if our remedial measures are insufficient to address the material weakness, or if additional material weaknesses or significant deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting are discovered or occur in the future, our consolidated financial statements may contain material misstatements. Any material misstatements could result in a restatement of our consolidated financial statements, cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations or cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, leading to a decline in our stock price.

We are currently in the process of remediating the identified material weakness in our internal controls and will commit our best efforts to completing our remediation measures on a timely basis. As we continue to evaluate and work to improve our internal control over financial reporting, we may determine to take additional measures to address material weakness or determine to modify certain of the remediation measures. Remediation of the material weakness will likely include additional costs, including the hiring of new personnel with sufficient and tailored skill sets. If we were to fail to remediate this material weakness, there would continue to be an increased risk that our future financial statements could contain errors that will be undetected. Future determinations that there are material weaknesses in the effectiveness of our internal controls could negatively impact our ability to obtain financing or could increase the cost of any financing we obtain and require additional expenditures of resources to comply with applicable requirements. The ongoing existence of a material weakness could result in errors in our financial statements that could result in a restatement of financial statements, which could cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations, lead to a loss of investor confidence and have a negative impact on the trading price of our common stock.

Risks Relating to Our Management Fee For Services Business

Going forward, substantially all of our revenues are derived from our provision of management services to a limited number of companies. The loss or failure, or decline in business or assets could substantially reduce our revenues.

We anticipate that the fees we earn from providing asset management services to our client under the AMA will comprise substantially all our revenue in the near term. Therefore, our revenues depend in large part on the ability of our largest clients to invest in real estate assets or their other respective businesses and on the positive performance of the investments or businesses of our largest clients. Our clients’ investments and businesses are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. Therefore, our operating results and our ability to maintain and grow our revenues depends upon the ability of our clients to maintain and grow their respective businesses. Reduced business activities by, or failure of, any of the clients or certain of the projects or the termination of their management agreements, particularly with respect to the AMA, would materially reduce our revenues and our profitability.

The AMA and other agreements with clients are subject to termination, and any such termination could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

The AMA and our other consulting agreements with our clients may be terminated by a client or by us in certain circumstances. Depending upon the circumstances of a termination, we may or may not be entitled to receive a termination fee. If any of our management or consulting agreements with a client is terminated, we may be unable to replace the lost revenue. Even if we receive a termination fee upon the termination of a management agreement with a client, we would likely be unable to invest the proceeds of the termination fee we receive to replace the lost revenues. The termination of our management agreement or consulting agreement with any of our largest clients could have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

The commercial real estate industry has been and may continue to be adversely affected by economic conditions in the United States generally.

Our business and operations are significantly dependent on conditions in the commercial real estate industry, which in turn is impacted by general economic conditions in the United States. Commercial real estate markets in the United States were significantly negatively impacted during the recent recession. Although commercial real estate markets have improved, with valuations approaching, and in some cases exceeding, 2007 levels, new challenges have arisen, including uncertain U.S. Federal Reserve policy regarding the timing and amount of future increases in interest rates and increasing real estate development activities. Adverse conditions in the commercial real estate industry and declining real estate values could harm our business and financial condition by limiting our and our Client Companies’ access to debt and equity capital and our and their ability to grow our and their businesses. Adverse conditions may also give rise to an increase in defaults of the Company’s loans and other investments. An economic slowdown or recession or declining real estate values could materially and adversely affect us and our clients.

The asset management business is highly competitive.

Our business is highly competitive and our success will be determined by a variety of factors, including, without limitation, the following:

 

    other asset managers may have greater financial, technical, marketing and other resources and more personnel than our clients and we do;

 

    our clients may not perform as well as other companies, including companies managed by other asset managers;

 

    other asset managers and the companies that compete with our clients may have access to more capital or access to capital at lower costs than our clients and we do;

 

    other asset managers and the companies that compete with our clients may have higher risk tolerance, different risk assessment or a lower return threshold, which could allow them to acquire a wider variety of assets and a broader range of investments than our clients and as a result we and our clients may grow our business less and more slowly than those competitors;

 

    there are few barriers to entry into the asset management business, and new entrants will result in increased competition;

 

    other asset managers may have more scalable platforms and may operate more efficiently than we do;

 

    other asset managers may have better brand recognition than we have; and

 

    our competitors may from time to time recruit our employees away from us.

If we fail to compete effectively, our business, results of operations and financial condition may be materially adversely impacted.

We are subject to substantial regulation and numerous contractual obligations and internal policies, and failure to comply with these provisions could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We are subject to substantial regulation and numerous contractual obligations and internal policies. We are subject to regulation by the SEC, The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC, or Nasdaq, and other federal, state and local governmental bodies and agencies or self-regulatory organizations. We are also responsible for managing or assisting with the regulatory aspects of certain of our clients. The level of regulation and supervision to which we and our clients are subject varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and is based on the type of business activity involved. Our or our clients’ failure to comply with any of the regulations, contractual obligations or policies may subject us to extensive investigations, as well as substantial penalties and reputational risk, and our business and operations could be materially adversely affected.

Our lack of compliance with applicable law could result in, among other things, our inability to enforce contracts, our default under contracts (including our management agreements or advisory agreements with our clients) and our ineligibility to contract with, and receive revenue from, governmental authorities and agencies, our clients or other third parties. We have numerous contractual obligations with which we must comply on a continuous basis to operate our business, the default of which could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition. We have established internal policies designed to ensure that we manage our business in accordance with applicable law and regulation and in accordance with our contractual obligations. These internal policies may not be effective in all regards; and, if we fail to comply with our internal policies, we could be subjected to additional risk and liability.

Employee misconduct could harm us by subjecting us to significant legal liability, reputational harm and loss of business.

There is a risk that our employees could engage in misconduct that adversely affects our business. We are subject to a number of obligations and standards arising from our business and our authority over the companies and assets we manage. The violation of these obligations and standards by any of our employees may adversely affect our clients and us. Our business often requires that we deal with confidential matters of great significance to our clients. If our employees improperly use or disclose confidential information, we and the concerned client could suffer serious harm to our and its reputation, financial position and current and future business relationships and face potentially significant litigation. It is not always possible to detect or deter employee misconduct, and the precautions we take to detect and prevent this activity may not be effective in all cases. If any of our employees were to engage in or be accused of misconduct, our business and our reputation could be adversely affected. Misconduct by an employee might rise to the level of a default that would permit a client to terminate its management agreements or advisory agreements with us for cause and without paying a termination fee, which could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Risks Relating to Our Homebuilding Business

Our operations historically required significant capital and our continuing operations during the transition to commercial real estate depends on the continuing availability of acquisition, construction, and development loans which may not to be available at the time it is needed or at favorable terms.

The real estate development industry is capital intensive and requires significant expenditures for operations, land purchases, land development and construction as well as potential acquisitions of other homebuilders or developers. In order to maintain our operations, we will need to obtain additional financing. These funds can be generated through public or private debt or equity financings, operating cash flow, additional bank borrowings or from strategic alliances or joint ventures. We may not be successful in obtaining additional funds in a timely manner, on favorable terms or at all. We have historically utilized construction, acquisition and development loans to finance our projects. These credit facilities tend to be project-oriented and generally have variable rates and require significant management time to administer. Further, these types of financings are typically characterized by short-term loans, which are subject to call. The availability of borrowed funds, especially for land acquisition and construction financing, has been greatly reduced, and lenders may require us to invest increased amounts of equity in a project in connection with both new loans and the extension of existing loans. In addition, we may need to further refinance all or a portion of our debt on or before maturity, which we may not be able to do on favorable terms or at all. Furthermore, if financial institutions discontinue providing these facilities to us, we would lose our primary source of financing for our operations or the cost of retaining or replacing these credit facilities could increase dramatically. If we do not have access to additional capital or funds to continue to transition our operations, we may be required to delay, scale back or abandon some or all of our operating strategies for an orderly transition of our homebuilding operations and rely more heavily on a liquidation strategy for our lot inventory that would likely cause us to experience a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Home prices and sales activities in the Washington, D.C. market have a large impact on our results of operations because we primarily conduct our business in this market.

We currently develop and sell homes primarily in the Washington, D.C. market; consequently, home prices and sales activities in the Washington, D.C. geographic market have a large impact on our results of operations. Although demand in this area historically has been strong, the historical slowdowns in residential real estate demand and continued constraints on obtaining consumer mortgage financing continue to reduce the likelihood of consumers seeking to purchase new homes. As a result of the specific market and general economic conditions, potential customers may be less willing or able to buy our homes, or we may take longer or incur more costs to build them. We may not be able to recapture increased costs by raising prices in many cases because of market conditions or because we fix our prices in advance of delivery by signing home sales contracts. We may be unable to change the mix of our homes or our offerings or the affordability of our homes to maintain our margins or satisfactorily address changing market conditions in other ways. Our limited geographic diversity means that adverse general economic, weather or other conditions in this geographic market could adversely affect our results of operations and cash flows or our ability to grow our business.

 

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Fluctuations in market conditions and our transition out of homebuilding may affect our ability to sell our land and home inventories at expected prices, or at all, which could adversely affect our revenues, earnings and cash flows.

We could be subject to significant fluctuations in the market value of our land and home inventories. The risk of owning undeveloped land, developed land and homes can be substantial. The market value of undeveloped land, buildable lots and housing inventories can fluctuate significantly as a result of changing economic and market conditions. Inventory carrying costs can be significant and can result in losses in a poorly performing development or market. Material write-downs of the estimated value of our land and home inventories could occur if market conditions deteriorate or if we purchased land or build home inventories at higher prices during stronger economic periods and the value of those land or home inventories subsequently declines during weaker economic periods. We could also be forced to sell homes, land or lots for prices that generate lower profit than we anticipated, or at a loss, and may not be able to dispose of an investment in a timely manner when we find dispositions advantageous or necessary. Furthermore, a continued decline in the market value of our land or home inventories or our transition out of homebuilding may give rise to additional impairments of our inventory and write-offs of contract deposits and feasibility cost, which may result in a breach of financial covenants contained in one or more of our credit facilities, and possibly cause a default under those credit facilities. Defaults in these credit facilities are often times the responsibility of Comstock, as Comstock is the guarantor of most of its subsidiaries debts.

During 2017 and 2016, we evaluated all of our projects, to the extent of the existence of any impairment indicators requiring evaluation to determine if carrying amounts were recoverable by evaluating discount rates, sales prices, absorption and our analysis of the best approach to marketing our projects for sale.

During 2017 and 2016, as a result of our impairment analysis, the Company wrote off $0.5 million and $2.4 million, respectively, in feasibility, site securing, predevelopment, design, carry costs and related costs for certain of our communities in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area due to unsuccessful negotiations and changes in market conditions. Additionally, during 2016, the Company, through its subsidiaries, and the land seller of a community in the Washington, D.C. area entered into a settlement agreement, and the Company received a refund of $0.7 million representing a portion of the deposit deemed impaired during the Company’s impairment analysis in 2015.

Our business is subject to governmental regulations that may delay, increase the cost of, prohibit or severely restrict our development and homebuilding projects and reduce our revenues and cash flows.

We are subject to extensive and complex laws and regulations that affect the land development and homebuilding processes, including laws and regulations related to zoning, permitted land uses, levels of density (number of dwelling units per acre), building design, access to water and other utilities, water and waste disposal and use of open spaces. In addition, we and our subcontractors are subject to laws and regulations relating to worker health and safety. We are also subject to a variety of local, state and federal laws and regulations concerning the protection of health and the environment. In some of our markets, we are required to pay environmental impact fees, use energy saving construction materials and give commitments to provide certain infrastructure such as roads and sewage systems. We are also subject to real estate taxes and other local government fees on real estate purchases. We must also obtain permits and approvals from local authorities to complete residential development or home construction. The laws and regulations under which we and our subcontractors operate, and our and their obligations to comply with them, may result in delays in construction and development, cause us to incur substantial compliance and other increased costs, and prohibit or severely restrict development and homebuilding activity in certain areas in which we operate. If we are unable to continue to develop communities and build and deliver homes as a result of these restrictions or if our compliance costs increase substantially, our revenues, earnings and cash flows may be reduced.

Cities and counties in which we operate have adopted, or may adopt, slow or no-growth initiatives that would reduce our ability to build and sell homes in these areas and could adversely affect our revenues, earnings and cash flows.

From time to time, certain cities and counties in which we operate have approved, and others in which we operate may approve, various “slow-growth” or “no-growth” initiatives and other similar ballot measures. Such initiatives restrict development within localities by, for example, limiting the number of building permits available in a given year. Approval of slow- or no-growth measures could reduce our ability to obtain building permits and build and sell homes in the affected markets and could create additional costs and administration requirements, which in turn could have an adverse effect on our revenues, earnings and cash flows. Increased regulation in the housing industry increases the time required to obtain the necessary approvals to begin construction and has prolonged the time between the initial acquisition of land or land options and the commencement and completion of construction. These delays increase our costs, decrease our profitability and increase the risks associated with the land inventories we maintain.

Municipalities may restrict or place moratoriums on the availability of utilities, such as water and sewer taps. If municipalities in which we operate take actions like these, it could have an adverse effect on our business by causing delays, increasing our costs or limiting our ability to build in those municipalities. This, in turn, could reduce the number of homes we sell and decrease our revenues, earnings and cash flows.

 

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Our ability to sell homes and, accordingly, our results of operations, will be affected by the availability of mortgage financing to potential home buyers.

Most home buyers finance their purchase of new homes through third-party mortgage financing. As a result, residential real estate demand is adversely affected by increases in interest rates and decreases in the availability of consumer mortgage financing. Increased monthly mortgage costs and the continued constraints on obtaining financing for potential home buyers have depressed the market for new homes. For instance, regulations which tighten underwriting standards have made mortgage financing more difficult to obtain for some of our entry-level home buyers, which has led to decreased demand from these buyers. Even if potential home buyers do not experience difficulty securing mortgage financing for their purchases of new homes, increases in interest rates and decreased mortgage availability or significant alterations to mortgage product types could make it harder for them to sell their existing homes. This could continue to adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.

Limitations on, or reduction or elimination of, tax benefits associated with owning a home could have an adverse effect on the demand for our home products.

Existing tax laws generally permit significant expenses associated with owning a home, to be deducted for the purpose of calculating an individual’s federal, and in many cases, state, taxable income, primarily including mortgage interest expenses and real estate taxes. New tax laws and regulations have recently been enacted that limit mortgage interest deductions. These regulations may increase the after-tax cost of owning a home, increasing the costs for many of our potential customers and may have an adverse effect on the homebuilding industry in general, as the loss or reduction of homeowner tax deductions could decrease the demand for new homes.

The competitive conditions in the homebuilding industry could increase our costs, reduce our revenues and earnings and otherwise adversely affect our results of operations and cash flows.

The homebuilding industry is highly competitive and fragmented. We compete with a number of national, regional and local builders for customers, raw materials and labor. For example, in the Washington, D.C. market, we compete against multiple publicly-traded national home builders, and many privately-owned regional and local home builders. We do not compete against all of the builders in all of our product types or submarkets, as some builders focus on particular types of projects within those markets, such as large estate homes, that are not in competition with our projects.

We compete primarily on the basis of price, location, design, quality, service and reputation. Some of our competitors have greater financial resources, more established market positions and better opportunities for land and home site acquisitions, greater amounts of unrestricted cash resources on hand, and lower costs of capital, labor and material than us. The competitive conditions in the homebuilding industry and our announcement to transition out of homebuilding could, among other things:

 

    require us to increase selling commissions and other incentives, which could reduce our profit margins;

 

    result in delays in construction if we experience delays in procuring materials or hiring trades people or laborers;

 

    result in lower sales volume and revenues; and

 

    increase our costs and reduce our earnings.

Our homes also compete with sales of existing homes and condominiums, foreclosure sales of existing homes and condominiums and available rental housing. A continued oversupply of competitively priced resale, foreclosure or rental homes in our markets could adversely affect our ability to sell homes profitably.

Increases in our cancellation rate could have a negative impact on our home sales revenue and homebuilding margins.

The cancellation rate of buyers who contracted to buy a home from us but did not close escrow (as a percentage of overall orders) was approximately 16% and 7% during the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively. Home order cancellations negatively impact the number of closed homes, net new home orders, home sales revenue and results of operations, as well as the number of homes in backlog. Home order cancellations can result from a number of factors, including declines or slow appreciation in the market value of homes, increases in the supply of homes available to be purchased, increased competition, higher mortgage interest rates, homebuyers’ inability to sell their existing homes, homebuyers’ inability to obtain suitable financing, including providing sufficient down payments, and adverse changes in economic conditions including unemployment. Upon a home order cancellation, the homebuyer’s escrow deposit is returned to the homebuyer (other than certain miscellaneous deposits, which we retain). An increase in the level of our home order cancellations could have a negative impact on our business, prospects, liquidity, financial condition and results of operations.

 

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If we are not able to develop our communities successfully, our results of operations, cash flows, and financial condition could be adversely impacted.

Before a community generates any revenues, material expenditures are required to acquire land, to obtain development approvals and to construct significant portions of project infrastructure, amenities, model homes and sales facilities. It can take a year or more for a community development to achieve cumulative positive cash flow. Our inability to develop and market our communities successfully and to generate positive cash flows from these operations in a timely manner could have a material adverse effect on our ability to service our debt and to meet our working capital requirements.

If we experience shortages of labor or supplies or other circumstances beyond our control, there could be delays or increased costs associated with developing our projects, which would adversely affect our operating results and cash flows.

We, from time to time, may be affected by circumstances beyond our control, including:

 

    work stoppages, labor disputes and shortages of qualified trades people, such as carpenters, roofers, electricians and plumbers;

 

    lack of availability of adequate utility infrastructure and services;

 

    increases in transportation costs for delivery of materials;

 

    our need to rely on local subcontractors who may not be adequately capitalized or insured; and

 

    shortages or fluctuations in prices of building materials.

These difficulties have caused and likely will cause unexpected construction delays and short-term increases in construction costs. In an attempt to protect the margins on our projects, we often purchase certain building materials with commitments that lock in the prices of these materials for 90 to 120 days or more. However, once the supply of building materials subject to these commitments is exhausted, we are again subject to market fluctuations and shortages. We may not be able to recover unexpected increases in construction or materials costs by raising our home prices because, typically, the price of each home is established at the time a customer executes a home sale contract. Furthermore, sustained increases in construction and material costs may, over time, erode our profit margins and may adversely affect our results of operations and cash flows.

We continue to depend on the availability and skill of subcontractors and their willingness to work with us as we transition out of our homebuilding operations.

Substantially all of our land development and construction work is done by subcontractors with us acting as the general contractor or by subcontractors working for a general contractor we select for a particular project. Accordingly, the timing and quality of our land development and construction depends on the availability, skill, and willingness of those subcontractors to work with us as we transition out of our homebuilding business. We do not have long-term

 

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contractual commitments with subcontractors or suppliers. Although we believe that our relationships with our suppliers and subcontractors are good, we cannot assure that skilled subcontractors will continue to be available at reasonable rates and in the areas in which we conduct our operations. The inability to contract with skilled subcontractors or general contractors at reasonable costs on a timely basis could limit our ability to build and deliver homes and could erode our profit margins and adversely affect our results of operations and cash flows.

Construction defect and product liability litigation and claims that arise in the ordinary course of business may be costly or negatively impact sales, which could adversely affect our results of operations and cash flows.

Our homebuilding business is subject to construction defect and product liability claims arising in the ordinary course of business. These claims are common in the homebuilding industry and can be costly. Among the claims for which developers and builders have financial exposure are property damage, environmental claims and bodily injury claims and latent defects that may not materialize for an extended period of time. Damages awarded under these suits may include the costs of remediation, loss of property and health-related bodily injury. In response to increased litigation, insurance underwriters have attempted to limit their risk by excluding coverage for certain claims associated with environmental conditions, pollution and product and workmanship defects. As a developer and a home builder, we may be at risk of loss for mold-related property, bodily injury and other claims in amounts that exceed available limits on our comprehensive general liability policies and those of our subcontractors. In addition, the costs of insuring against construction defect and product liability claims are high and the amount of coverage offered by insurance companies is limited. Uninsured construction defect, product liability and similar claims, claims in excess of the limits under our insurance policies, defense costs and the costs of obtaining insurance to cover such claims could have a material adverse effect on our revenues, earnings and cash flows.

Increased insurance risk could negatively affect our business, results of operations and cash flows.

Insurance and surety companies frequently reassess many aspects of their business and, as a result, may take actions that could negatively affect our business. These actions could include increasing insurance premiums, requiring higher self-insured retentions and deductibles, requiring additional collateral on surety bonds, reducing limits, restricting coverage’s, imposing exclusions, and refusing to underwrite certain risks and classes of business. Any of these actions may adversely affect our ability to obtain appropriate insurance coverage at reasonable costs, which could have a material adverse effect on our business. Additionally, coverage for certain types of claims, such as claims relating to mold, is generally unavailable. Further, we rely on surety bonds, typically provided by insurance companies, as a means of limiting the amount of capital utilized in connection with the public improvement sureties that we are required to post with governmental authorities in connection with land development and construction activities. The cost of obtaining these surety bonds is, from time to time, unpredictable and these surety bonds may be unavailable to us for new projects. These factors can delay or prohibit commencement of development projects and adversely affect revenue, earnings and cash flows.

We are subject to warranty claims arising in the ordinary course of business that could be costly.

We provide service warranties on our homes for a period of one year or more following closing and provide warranties on occasion as required by applicable statutes for extended periods. We self-insure our warranties from time to time and reserve an amount we believe will be sufficient to satisfy any warranty claims on homes we sell and periodically purchase insurance related coverage to cover the costs associated with potential claims. Additionally, we attempt to pass much of the risk associated with potential defects in materials and workmanship on to the subcontractors performing the work and the suppliers and manufacturers of the materials and their insurance carriers. In such cases, we still may incur unanticipated costs if a subcontractor, supplier, manufacturer or its insurance carrier fails to honor its obligations regarding the work or materials it supplies to our projects. If the amount of actual claims materially exceeds our aggregate warranty reserves, any available insurance coverage and/or the amounts we can recover from our subcontractors and suppliers, our results of operations, cash flows, and financial condition may be adversely affected.

 

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We are subject to certain environmental laws and the cost of compliance could adversely affect our business, results of operations and cash flows.

As a current or previous owner or operator of real property, we may be liable under federal, state, and local environmental laws, ordinances and regulations for the costs of removal or remediation of hazardous or toxic substances on, under or in the properties or in the proximity of the properties we develop. These laws often impose liability whether or not we knew of, or were responsible for, the presence of such hazardous or toxic substances. The cost of investigating, remediating or removing such hazardous or toxic substances may be substantial. The presence of any such substance, or the failure to promptly remediate any such substance, may adversely affect our ability to sell the property, to use the property for our intended purpose, or to borrow funds using the property as collateral. In addition, the construction process involves the use of hazardous and toxic materials. We could be held liable under environmental laws for the costs of removal or remediation of such materials. In addition, our existing credit facilities also restrict our access to the loan proceeds if the properties that are used to collateralize the loans are contaminated by hazardous substances and require us to indemnify the bank against losses resulting from such occurrence for significant periods of time, even after the loan is fully repaid.

If we are unable to continue to access credit on acceptable terms, our business may be adversely affected.

The changing nature of the global credit markets could make it more difficult for us to access funds, refinance our existing indebtedness, enter into agreements for uncommitted bond facilities and new indebtedness, replace our existing revolving and term credit agreements or obtain funding through the issuance of our securities. We use credit facilities to support our working capital and acquisition needs. There is no guarantee that we can continue to renew our credit facility on terms as favorable as those in our existing credit facility and, if we are unable to do so, our costs of borrowing and our business may be adversely affected.

Our ability to use our Net Operating Losses (“NOLs”) and, in certain circumstances, future built-in losses and depreciation deductions can be negatively affected if there is an “ownership change” as defined under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code.

We currently have approximately $144 million in federal and state NOLs with a potential value of up to approximately $37 million in tax savings. These deferred tax assets are currently fully reserved. If unused, these NOLs will begin expiring in 2027. Under Internal Revenue Code Section 382 rules, if a change of ownership is triggered, our NOL asset and possibly certain other deferred tax assets may be impaired. We estimate that as of December 31, 2017, the cumulative shift in the Company’s stock would not cause an inability to utilize any of our NOLs.

The Company’s ability to use its NOLs (and in certain circumstances, future built-in losses and depreciation deductions) can be negatively affected if there is an “ownership change” as defined under Internal Revenue Code Section 382. In general, an ownership change occurs whenever there is a shift in ownership by more than 50 percentage points by one or more 5% stockholders over a specified time period (generally three years). Given Internal Revenue Code Section 382’s broad definition, an ownership change could be the unintended consequence of otherwise normal market trading in the Company’s stock that is outside of the Company’s control. In an effort to preserve the availability of these NOLs, in 2011, Comstock adopted an Internal Revenue Code Section 382 rights agreement, which expired in May 2014. In June 2015, the Company’s stockholder’s approved a new Section 382 rights agreement (the “Rights Agreement”) to protect stockholder value. The Rights Agreement expires on March 27, 2025. The Rights Agreement was adopted to reduce the likelihood of such an unintended “ownership change”, thus preserving the value of these tax benefits.

An impairment charge of goodwill could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations.

Because we have grown in part through acquisitions, goodwill and intangible assets-net represent a substantial portion of our assets. Under generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (GAAP), we are required to test goodwill carried in our Consolidated Balance Sheets for possible impairment on an annual basis based upon a fair value approach and whenever events occur that indicate impairment could exist. These events or circumstances could include a significant change in the business climate, including a significant sustained decline in a reporting unit’s market value, legal factors, operating performance indicators, competition, sale or disposition of a significant portion of our business, a significant sustained decline in our market capitalization and other factors.

 

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In addition, if we experience a decrease in our stock price and market capitalization over a sustained period, we would have to record an impairment charge in the future. The amount of any impairment could be significant and could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations for the period in which the charge is taken.

We are dependent on the services of certain key employees, and the loss of their services could harm our business.

Our success largely depends on the continuing services of certain key employees, including Christopher Clemente, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer; Christopher Conover, our Chief Financial Officer; and Jubal Thompson, our General Counsel and Secretary. Our continued success also depends on our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel. We believe that Messrs. Clemente, Conover and Thompson each possess valuable industry and Company knowledge, experience and leadership abilities that would be difficult in the short term to replicate. The loss of these or other key employees could harm our operations, business plans and cash flows.

Our operating results, including revenue, earnings, and losses, have varied over time due to a number of conditions. If we are unable to successfully manage these conditions or factors, our operating results may continue to vary and may also suffer.

The homebuilding industry is cyclical and we expect to experience variability in our revenues and net income. The volume of sales contracts and closings typically varies from month to month and from quarter to quarter depending on several factors, including the stages of development of our projects, the uncertain timing and cost of real estate closings, weather and other factors beyond our control. In the early stages of a project’s development, we incur significant start-up costs associated with, among other things, project design, land acquisition and development, construction and marketing expenses. Since revenues from sales of properties are generally recognized only upon the transfer of title at the closing of a sale, no revenue is recognized during the early stages of a project unless land parcels or residential home sites are sold to other developers. Periodic sales of properties may be insufficient to fund operating expenses. Further, if sales and other revenues are not adequate to cover operating expenses, we will be required to seek sources of additional operating funds. Accordingly, our financial results will vary from community to community and from time to time.

We do not own the Comstock brand or trademark, but use the brand and trademark pursuant to the terms of a perpetual license granted by Christopher Clemente, our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board.

Our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board, Christopher Clemente, has licensed his ownership interest in the “Comstock” brand and trademark to us in perpetuity and free of charge. We routinely take steps, and occasionally take legal action, to protect it against infringement from third parties. Mr. Clemente has retained the right to continue to use the “Comstock” brand and trademark individually and through his affiliates, with respect to real estate development projects in our current or future markets that are unrelated to the Company but excluding products developed as new homes for sale. We will be unable to control the quality of projects undertaken by Mr. Clemente or others using the “Comstock” brand and trademark and therefore will be unable to prevent any damage to its goodwill that may occur. Consequently, our brand’s reputation could be damaged which could have a material adverse effect on our business, operations and cash flows.

Information technology failures or data security breaches could harm our business.

We use information technology and other computer resources to perform important operational and marketing activities and to maintain our business records. Certain of these resources are provided to us and/or maintained by data hosting facilities and third party service providers to assist in conducting our day to day operations. Our computer systems and those of our third-party providers are subject to damage or interruption from power outages, computer and telecommunication failures, computer viruses, hackers, unauthorized accesses, IT security breaches, natural disasters, usage errors by our employees or contractors, etc. Although we have implemented administrative and technical controls to address, mitigate and minimize these IT security issues, a significant and extended disruption of or breach of security related to our computer systems and third party service providers may damage our reputation and cause us to lose customers, sales and revenue, result in the unintended misappropriation of proprietary, personal and confidential information and require us to incur significant expense to remediate or otherwise resolve these issues.

Our business, results of operations and financial condition may be affected by adverse weather conditions or natural disasters.

Adverse weather conditions, such as extended periods of rain, snow or cold temperatures, and natural disasters, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and fires, can delay completion and sale of real estate, damage partially complete or other construction in our inventory and/or decrease the demand for real estate or increase the cost of building projects. To the extent that natural disasters or adverse weather events occur, our business and results may be adversely affected. To the extent our insurance is not adequate to cover business interruption losses or repair costs resulting from these events, our results of operations and financial conditions may be adversely affected.

 

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Acts of war or terrorism may seriously harm our business.

Acts of war, any outbreak or escalation of hostilities between the United States and any foreign power or acts of terrorism may cause disruption to the entire U.S. economy, or the Washington, D.C. metro area, cause shortages of building materials, increase costs associated with obtaining building materials, result in building code changes that could increase costs of construction, affect job growth and consumer confidence, or cause economic changes that we cannot anticipate, all of which could reduce demand for our homes and adversely impact our revenues, earnings and cash flows.

Risks Related to our Common Stock and Level of Indebtedness

Our level of indebtedness may harm our financial condition and results of operations.

Our consolidated indebtedness as of December 31, 2017 is approximately $39.4 million, net of discounts and deferred financing charges, and matures at different periods in fiscal years 2018 through 2022. We are in active discussions with our lenders with respect to these maturities and are seeking extensions and modifications to the credit facilities and loans as necessary. If, for any reason, we are unable to refinance, extend or modify the existing indebtedness, these projects may be in default of their existing obligations, which may result in a foreclosure on the project collateral and loss of the project. Any such events could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our level of indebtedness could impact our future operations in many important ways, including, without limitation, by:

 

    Requiring a portion of our cash flows from operations to be dedicated to the payment of any interest or amortization required with respect to outstanding indebtedness;

 

    Increasing our vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic and industry conditions, as well as to competitive pressure; and

 

    Limiting our ability to obtain additional financing for working capital, acquisitions, capital expenditures, general corporate and other purposes.

At the scheduled maturity of our credit facilities or in the event of an acceleration of a debt facility following an event of default, the entire outstanding principal amount of the indebtedness under such facility, together with all other amounts payable thereunder from time to time, will become due and payable. It is possible that we may not have sufficient funds to pay such obligations in full at maturity or upon such acceleration. If we default and are not able to pay any such obligations due, our lenders have liens on substantially all of our assets and could foreclose on our assets in order to satisfy our obligations.

Our sources of liquidity are limited and may not be sufficient to meet our needs.

We are largely dependent on private placements of debt and equity (which rely heavily on insider participation) to cover our operating expenses and/or fund our liquidity needs. If we are unable to secure capital from private placements, we may be forced to reduce our capital expenditures, delay investments, seek other forms of financing or restructure our indebtedness. These alternative measures may not be successful or may not be on desirable terms that could have an adverse impact on our operations.

Our stock price has been volatile and we expect that it will continue to be volatile.

Our stock price has been volatile, and we expect it will continue to be volatile. During the year ended December 31, 2017, the closing price of our common stock ranged from a high of $2.42 to a low of $1.25. The volatility of our stock price may also be due to many factors including:

 

    quarterly variations in our operating results;

 

    general conditions in the homebuilding industry;

 

    interest rate changes;

 

    changes in the market’s expectations about our operating results;

 

    our operating results failing to meet the expectation of securities analysts or investors in a particular period;

 

    changes in financial estimates and recommendations by securities analysts concerning our Company or of the homebuilding industry in general;

 

    operating and stock price performance of other companies that investors deem comparable to us;

 

    news reports relating to trends in our markets;

 

    changes in laws and regulations affecting our business;

 

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    material announcements by us or our competitors;

 

    material announcements by our construction lenders or the manufacturers and suppliers we use;

 

    sales of substantial amounts of Class A common stock by our directors, executive officers or significant stockholders or the perception that such sales could occur; and

 

    general economic and political conditions such as recessions and acts of war or terrorism.

Investors in our Class A common stock may not be able to resell their shares of Class A common stock following periods of volatility because of the market’s adverse reaction to the volatility of the stock price. Our Class A common stock may not trade at the same levels as the stock of other homebuilders, and the market in general may not sustain its current prices.

We may not be able to maintain compliance with The NASDAQ Capital Market’s continued listing requirements.

Our Class A common stock is listed on The NASDAQ Capital Market. In order to maintain the listing of our Class A common stock on The NASDAQ Capital Market, we must meet minimum financial, operating and other requirements, including requirements for a minimum amount of capital, a minimum price per share and active operations. We may fail to satisfy certain of these listing requirements. In the past, we have at times not met the minimum trading price and stockholders’ equity amount required for continued listing on the NASDAQ Capital Market. We have taken steps to remedy these deficiencies, including by completing a reverse stock split to increase our trading price. However, if we fail to satisfy these or other continued listing requirements, we would be required to take steps to satisfy the applicable continued listing requirement or suffer delisting from The NASDAQ Capital Market. A delisting of our Class A common stock could adversely affect the market liquidity of our common stock, our ability to obtain financing and our ability to fund our operations.

Investors in our Class A common stock may experience dilution with the future issuance of stock, exercise of stock options and warrants, the grant of restricted stock and issuance of stock in connection with our capital raising transactions and acquisitions of other companies.

From time to time, we have issued and we will continue to issue stock options or restricted stock grants to employees and non-employee directors pursuant to our equity incentive plan. We expect that these options or restricted stock grants will generally vest commencing one year from the date of grant and continue vesting over a four-year period. Investors may experience dilution as the options vest and are exercised by their holders and the restrictions lapse on the restricted stock grants. In addition, we may issue stock to raise capital to fund our growth initiatives, in connection with acquisitions of other companies, or warrants in connection with the settlement of obligations and or indebtedness with vendors and suppliers, which may result in investors experiencing dilution.

Substantial sales of our Class A common stock, or the perception that such sales might occur, could depress the market price of our Class A common stock.

A substantial amount of the shares of our Class A common stock are eligible for immediate resale in the public market. Any sales of substantial amounts of our Class A common stock in the public market, or the perception that such sales might occur, could depress the market price of our Class A common stock.

The holders of our Class B common stock exert control over us and thus limit the ability of other stockholders to influence corporate matters.

As of December 31, 2017, Mr. Christopher Clemente, our Chief Executive Officer, owned 100% of our outstanding Class B common stock, which, together with his shares of Class A common stock, represent approximately 60% of the combined voting power of all classes of our voting stock. As a result, Mr. Clemente has control over the election of our board of directors and our management and policies. Mr. Clemente, also has control over all matters requiring stockholder approval, including the amendment of certain provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, the approval of any equity-based employee compensation plans and the approval of significant corporate transactions, including mergers or acquisition transactions. In light of this control, other companies could be discouraged from initiating a potential merger, takeover or any other transaction resulting in a change of control. Such a transaction potentially could be beneficial to our business or to our stockholders. This may in turn reduce the price that investors are willing to pay in the future for shares of our Class A common stock.

 

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The limited voting rights of our Class A common stock could limit its attractiveness to investors and its liquidity and, as a result, its market value.

The holders of our Class A common stock and Class B common stock generally have identical rights, except that holders of our Class A common stock are entitled to one vote per share and holders of our Class B common stock are entitled to 15 votes per share on all matters to be voted on by stockholders. The difference in the voting rights of the Class A common stock and Class B common stock could diminish the value of the Class A common stock to the extent that investors or any potential future purchasers of our Class A common stock ascribe value to the superior voting rights of the Class B common stock.

It may be difficult for a third party to acquire us, which could inhibit stockholders from realizing a premium on their stock price.

We are subject to the Delaware anti-takeover laws regulating corporate takeovers. These anti-takeover laws prevent Delaware corporations from engaging in business combinations with any stockholder, including all affiliates and employees of a stockholder, who owns 15% or more of the corporation’s outstanding voting stock, for three years following the date that the stockholder acquired 15% or more of the corporation’s voting stock unless specified conditions are met.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws contain provisions that have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control that stockholders could consider favorable or beneficial. These provisions could discourage proxy contests and make it more difficult for stockholders to elect directors and take other corporate actions. These provisions could also limit the price that investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock. These provisions include:

 

    a staggered board of directors, so that it would take three successive annual meetings to replace all directors;

 

    a prohibition of stockholders taking action by written consent; and

 

    advance notice requirements for the submission by stockholders of nominations for election to the board of directors and for proposing matters that can be acted upon by stockholders at a meeting.

Our issuance of shares of preferred stock could delay or prevent a change of control of us.

Our board of directors has the authority to cause us to issue, without any further vote or action by the stockholders, up to 20,000,000 shares of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock, par value $0.01 per share, in one or more series, to designate the number of shares constituting any series, and to fix the rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions thereof, including dividend rights, voting rights, rights and terms of redemption, redemption price or prices and liquidation preferences of such series. The issuance of shares of preferred stock may have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of us without further action by the stockholders, even where stockholders are offered a premium for their shares. The issuance of shares of preferred stock with voting and conversion rights may adversely affect the voting power of the holders of Class A common stock, including the loss of voting control. Any issuance of this type of preferred stock could impact the perception of potential future purchasers of our Class A common stock and could depress its market price.

During the period ended December 31, 2015, the Company authorized 3,000,000 shares of a new series of preferred stock designated as Series B Non-Convertible Preferred Stock (the “Series B Preferred Stock”). The shares of Series B Preferred Stock have a par value of $0.01 per share and a stated value of $5.00 per share. The Series B Preferred Stock has no conversion rights or voting rights other than required by applicable law. The Series B Preferred Stock earn dividends at a rate of 8.75% per annum. The dividends will accrue whether or not declared. The dividends are also cumulative and payable quarterly in arrears at the last day of each quarterly reporting period in the form of additional Series B Preferred Stock or in the sole discretion of the board of directors, in cash. On December 29, 2015, the Company issued 772,210 shares of Series B Preferred Stock in exchange for the conversion of an outstanding promissory note. On March 24, 2017, the Company and our Chief Executive Officer entered into a series of transactions which converted the Series B Preferred Stock to a newly created Series C Preferred Stock. Refer to Note 15 and Note 20 to the consolidated financial statements for further discussion of these transactions.

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments

None.

Item 2. Properties

On December 31, 2009, the Company, through its affiliate, Comstock Property Management, L.C., entered into a three-year lease for approximately 7,620 square feet of office space for its corporate headquarters at 1886 Metro Center Drive, Reston, Virginia from Comstock Asset Management, L.C., an affiliate, wholly-owned by our Chief Executive Officer. On September 19, 2012, the Company amended the lease to add an additional 2,436 square feet of office space, or a total of 10,056 square feet, for its corporate headquarters, with an effective date of July 1, 2012. Concurrent with the amendment, the Company agreed to extend the term of the lease for five years from the effective date of the amendment. On October 1, 2016, the Company amended the lease reducing the leased space to 6,398 square feet, and extended the term to two years, expiring on September 30, 2018. See related party transactions in Note 15 in the accompanying consolidated financial statements for additional information.

 

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On July 17, 2017, the Company, through its subsidiary, JK Environmental Services, LLC (“JK”), acquired the assets and liabilities of Monridge Environmental, LLC. On August 1, 2017, JK entered into a one-year lease for approximately 2,800 square feet of office space at 806 Fayette Street, Conshohocken, Pennsylvania.

For information regarding our projects, see Item 1 ‘Business – Our Developed Communities.’

Item 3. Legal Proceedings

Currently, we are not subject to any material legal proceedings. From time to time, however, we are named as a defendant in legal actions arising from our normal business activities. Although we cannot accurately predict the amount of our liability, if any, that could arise with respect to legal actions pending against us, we do not expect that any such liability will have a material adverse effect on our financial position, operating results or cash flows. We believe that we have obtained adequate insurance coverage, rights to indemnification, or where appropriate, have established reserves in connection with these legal proceedings.

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures

Not applicable.

PART II

Item 5. Market for the Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities Market for Common Stock

Our Class A common stock is traded on NASDAQ under the symbol “CHCI”. The following table sets forth the high and low sale prices of our Class A common stock, as reported on NASDAQ, for the periods indicated:

 

     High      Low  

Fiscal Year Ended 2017

     

First quarter

   $ 2.42      $ 1.71  

Second quarter

   $ 2.16      $ 1.66  

Third quarter

   $ 2.08      $ 1.59  

Fourth quarter

   $ 2.07      $ 1.25  
     High      Low  

Fiscal Year Ended 2016

     

First quarter

   $ 1.97      $ 1.50  

Second quarter

   $ 1.94      $ 1.71  

Third quarter

   $ 2.25      $ 1.59  

Fourth quarter

   $ 2.05      $ 1.70  

Holders

As of December 31, 2017, there were approximately 49 record holders of our Class A common stock. As of December 31, 2017, there was one holder of our Class B common stock. As of December 31, 2017, there was one holder of our Series C Preferred Stock.

Dividends

We have never paid any cash dividends on our Class A and Class B common stock and do not intend to do so in the foreseeable future. During the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, the Company recorded $78 and $348 thousand, respectively, of dividends paid-in-kind on its Series B Preferred Stock.

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

In November 2014, our board of directors approved a new share repurchase program authorizing the Company to repurchase up to 429 thousand shares of our Class A common stock in one or more open market or privately negotiated transactions. During 2017 and 2016, no shares of our Class A common stock were repurchased. As of December 31, 2017, 404 thousand shares remained available for purchase.

 

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Item 6. Selected Financial Data

Not Applicable.

Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors including, but not limited to, those discussed below and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, particularly under the headings “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Notes Regarding Forward-looking Statements.”

Overview

We are a multi-faceted real estate development and services company primarily focused in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. In 2018, the Company has changed its focus to commercial development, asset management, and provision of complementary real estate related services, transitioning from its primary reliance upon revenue generated by production-oriented, for-sale homebuilding. To accomplish the transition from homebuilding to the new lines of business, the Company will operate through two real estate focused platforms – CAM and CRES. These two business segments include construction, asset and property management, including the remaining homebuilding projects, and service-oriented companies providing services clients primarily in the real estate sector as further discussed in Note 2 of our consolidated financial statements.

CAM

Under the CAM business segment, we manage projects ranging from approximately 100-500 units in locations that are supply constrained with demonstrated demand for stabilized assets. We seek opportunities in the multi-family rental market where our experience and core capabilities can be leveraged. We also provide management services to a wide range of real estate assets and businesses that include apartments, hotels, office buildings, leased lands, retail stores, mixed-use developments, and urban developments. We have significant experience with construction and development management, property management, and asset management.

Although we intend to transition away from our on-balance sheet homebuilding operations, our expertise in developing various housing products enables us to focus on a wide range of opportunities and provide a wide range of services to clients within our core market. For our remaining homebuilding inventory, we will continue to develop properties with the intent that they be sold either as fee-simple properties or condominiums to individual unit buyers or we may sell raw or finished lot inventories to third party developers or homebuilders who will then develop or build out the homes in our remaining projects. For the inventory which we will continue with our homebuilding operations, we will continue to focus on for-sale products designed to attract first-time, early move-up, and secondary move-up buyers. We focus on products that we are able to offer for sale in the middle price points within the markets where we operate, avoiding the very low-end and high-end products.

CRES

We can provide a wide range of real estate services through our experienced management team. We continue to engage in providing third party services focused on strategic planning, land development, land acquisitions, environmental, entitlement, and general construction management activities. Our real estate and environmental services, including consulting, studies, and remediation activities, provide site specific solutions for any project that may have an environmental impact, from environmental due diligence to site-specific assessments and remediation. This business line not only allows us to generate positive fee income from our highly qualified personnel but also serves as a potential catalyst for joint venture and future acquisition opportunities that are complementary to the services provided by CRES and the real estate focused clients of CAM.

 

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Liquidity and Capital Resources

We require capital to operate, to post deposits on new potential acquisitions, to purchase and develop land, to construct homes, to fund related carrying costs and overhead and to fund various advertising and marketing programs to generate sales. These expenditures include payroll, community engineering, entitlement, architecture, advertising, utilities and interest as well as the construction costs of our homes. Our sources of capital include, and we believe will continue to include, private equity and debt placements (which has included significant participation from Company insiders), funds derived from various secured and unsecured borrowings to finance acquisition, development and construction on acquired land, cash flow from operations, which includes the sale and delivery of constructed homes, finished and raw building lots and the potential sale of public debt and equity securities. The Company is involved in ongoing discussions with lenders and equity sources in an effort to provide additional growth capital to fund various new business opportunities. See Note 10 in the accompanying consolidated financial statements for more details on our debt and credit facilities and Note 17 in the accompanying consolidated financial statements for details on private placement offerings in 2017 and 2016.

As of December 31, 2017, $16.0 million of the Company’s secured project related notes were set to mature at various periods through the end of 2018. As of April 20, 2018, the Company has successfully extended or repaid all obligations with Lenders through April 20, 2018, as more fully described in Note 10 and Note 22, and we are actively engaging our lenders seeking long term extensions and modifications to the loans where necessary. These debt instruments impose certain restrictions on our operations, including speculative unit construction limitations, curtailment obligations and financial covenant compliance. If we fail to comply with any of these restrictions, an event of default could occur. Additionally, events of default could occur if we fail to make required debt service payments or if we fail to come to agreement on an extension on a certain facility prior to a given loan’s maturity date. Any event of default would likely render the obligations under these instruments due and payable as of that event. Any such event of default would allow certain of our lenders to exercise cross default provisions in our loan agreements with them, such that all debt with that institution could be called into default.

At December 31, 2017, $14.9 million of our notes payable to affiliates are set to mature prior to the end of 2018. These funds were primarily obtained from entities wholly owned by our Chief Executive Officer, who has unilateral ability to extend the maturity dates beyond 2018 as needed.

The current performance of our projects has met all required servicing obligations required by the facilities. We are anticipating that with successful resolution of the debt extension discussions with our lenders, the recently completed capital raises from our private placements, current available cash on hand, and additional cash from settlement proceeds at existing and under development communities, the Company will have sufficient financial resources to sustain its operations through the next 12 months, though no assurances can be made that the Company will be successful in its efforts. Refer to Note 10 and 22 for further discussion regarding our debts, extension of loan maturity date and other subsequent events impacting our credit facilities.

Cash Flow

Net cash provided by operating activities was $5.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2017. The $5.1 million net cash provided by operations in 2017 was primarily due to $4.8 million of releases of real estate inventories associated with the settlements at our various communities during the year, an impairment charge of $0.5 million increases in accounts payable of $1.4 million, amortization of loan fees and intangible assets of $1.1 million, increases in other assets of $0.8 million, issuances of stock compensation of $0.3 million, offset by the net loss for the year of $4.8 million. Net cash used in operating activities was $11.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2016. The $11.8 million net cash used in operations in 2016 was primarily due to $11.1 million of net purchases of real estate inventories associated with the Townes at Totten Mews, the Towns at 1333, and the Woods at Spring Ridge projects, which commenced during the year.

Net cash used in investing activities was $0.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2017. This was primarily attributable to the cash paid for the acquisition of Monridge Environmental, LLC of $0.6 million and the decrease in collateral for letters of credit of $0.2 million. Net cash provided by investing activities was $0.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2016. This was primarily attributable to the net releases of deposits from escrow accounts held as collateral for certain letters of credit of $0.2 million.

Net cash used in financing activities was $8.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2017. This was primarily attributable to an increase in distributions paid to non-controlling interests, net of contributions, of $1.4 million and payments on notes payable, net of proceeds, of $6.4 million. Net cash provided by financing activities was $4.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2016. This was primarily attributable to an increase in contributions from non-controlling interests, net of distributions paid, of $9.6 million, offset by a decrease in borrowings, net of payments, on notes payable of $4.5 million.

 

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Share Repurchase Program

In November 2014, our board of directors approved a new share repurchase program authorizing the Company to repurchase up to 429 thousand shares of our Class A common stock in one or more open market or privately negotiated transactions.

As of December 31, 2017 and 2016, 404 thousand shares of our Class A common stock remain available for repurchase pursuant to our share repurchase program.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Information regarding recent accounting pronouncements is contained in Note 2 in the accompanying consolidated financial statements.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Our consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”), which require us to make certain estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates including those related to the consolidation of variable interest entities (“VIEs”), revenue recognition, impairment of real estate inventories, warranty reserve and our environmental liability exposure. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may differ materially from these estimates.

A summary of significant accounting policies is provided in Note 2 in the accompanying consolidated financial statements. The following section is a summary of certain aspects of those accounting policies that require the most difficult, subjective or complex judgments and estimates.

Real estate inventories

Real estate inventories include land, land development costs, construction and other costs. Real estate held for development and use is stated at cost, or when circumstances or events indicate that the real estate is impaired, at estimated fair value. Real estate held for sale is carried at the lower of cost or fair value less estimated costs to sell. Land, land development and indirect land development costs are accumulated by specific project and allocated to various units within that project using specific identification and allocation based upon the relative estimated sales value method. Direct construction costs are assigned to units based on specific identification, when practical, or based upon the relative sales value method. Construction costs primarily include direct construction costs and capitalized field overhead. Other costs are comprised of fees, capitalized interest and real estate taxes. We also use our best estimate at the end of a reporting period to capitalize estimated construction and development costs. Costs incurred to sell real estate are capitalized to the extent they are reasonably expected to be recovered from the sale of the project or are incurred to obtain regulatory approval of sales. Other selling costs are expensed as incurred.

For assets held for development and use, a write-down to estimated fair value is recorded when the net carrying value of the property exceeds its estimated undiscounted future cash flows. Estimated fair value is based on comparable sales of real estate in the normal course of business under existing and anticipated market conditions. These evaluations are made on a property-by-property basis whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the net book value may not be recoverable.

If the project is considered held for sale, it is valued at the lower of cost or fair value less estimated selling costs. The evaluation takes into consideration the current status of the property, carrying costs, costs of disposition, various restrictions, and any other circumstances that may affect fair value including management’s plans for the property. As of December 31, 2017 and 2016, the Company did not have any development projects considered to be held for sale.

Goodwill impairment

We test our goodwill for impairment on an annual basis, and more frequently when an event occurs or circumstances indicate that the carrying value of the asset may not be recoverable. We believe the methodology that we use to review impairment of goodwill, which includes a significant amount of judgment and estimates, provides us with a reasonable basis to determine whether impairment has occurred.

Revenue recognition

We recognize revenues and related profits or losses from the sale of residential properties and units, finished lots and land sales when closing has occurred, full payment is reasonably assured, title and possession of the property has transferred to the buyer and we have no significant continuing involvement in the property. Other revenues include revenue from land sales, rental revenue from leased multi-family units, which is recognized ratably over the terms of the respective leases.

We consider revenue to be from homebuilding when there is a structure built or being built on the lot at closing when cash receipt is reasonably assured and the title is transferred along with the risks and rewards of ownership. Sales of lots occur, and are included in other revenues, when we sell raw land or finished home sites in advance of any home construction.

 

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Revenues generated through real estate professional services such as management and administrative support, environmental design, engineering and remediation are recognized when the services have been provided, the benefits of the services are transferred to the customer and our performance obligations over time are satisfied.

Warranty reserve

Warranty reserves for units settled are established to cover potential costs for materials and labor with regard to warranty-type claims expected to arise during the typical one-year warranty period provided by the Company or within the two-year statutorily mandated structural warranty period for condominiums. Because the Company typically subcontracts its homebuilding work, subcontractors are required to provide the Company with an indemnity and a certificate of insurance prior to receiving payments for their work. Claims relating to workmanship and materials are generally the primary responsibility of the subcontractors and product manufacturers. The warranty reserve is established at the time of closing, and is calculated based upon historical warranty cost experience and current business factors. Variables used in the calculation of the reserve, as well as the adequacy of the reserve based on the number of homes still under warranty, are reviewed on a periodic basis. Warranty claims are directly charged to the reserve as they arise. This reserve is an estimate and actual warranty costs could vary from these estimates.

Equity-based compensation

Compensation costs related to our equity-based compensation plans are recognized within our income statement, or capitalized to real estate inventories for awards issued to employees that are involved in production. The costs recognized are based on the grant-date fair value. Compensation costs for share-based grants are recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period for the entire award (from the date of grant through the period of the last separately vesting portion of the grant).

The fair value of each option award is calculated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model which includes certain subjective assumptions. Expected volatilities are calculated based on our historical trading activities. We estimate forfeitures using a weighted average historical forfeiture rate. Our estimates of forfeitures will be adjusted over the requisite service period based on the extent to which actual forfeitures differ, or are expected to differ, from their estimate. The risk-free rate for the periods is based on the U.S. Treasury rates in effect at the time of grant. The expected term of options is based on the simplified method which assumes that the option will be exercised midway between the vesting date and the contractual term of the option. The Company is able to use the simplified method as the options qualify as “plain vanilla” options as defined by Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 718, Stock Compensation.

Income taxes

Income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method in accordance with ASC 740, Accounting for Income Taxes. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax basis. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect of a change in tax rates on the deferred tax assets and liabilities is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. We provide a valuation allowance when we consider it “more likely than not” (greater than a 50% probability) that a deferred income tax asset will not be fully recovered. Adjustments to the valuation allowance are a component of the deferred income tax expense or benefit in the consolidated statement of operations.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was enacted on December 22, 2017 with an effective date of January 1, 2018. The results of the Tax Act include, among others, a reduction to the corporate federal income tax rate from 35% to 21%, the repeal of the Alternative Minimum Tax, and the allowance of net operating losses arising in tax years ending after 2017 to be carried forward indefinitely, subject to limitation. The law introduces substantial changes to the Internal Revenue Code, with extensive implications for our federal current and deferred income tax provision. For further information, see Note 19 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statement included in this report.

Use of estimates

The preparation of the financial statements, in conformity with GAAP, requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Material estimates are utilized in the valuation of real estate inventories, including estimated construction and development costs, valuation of deferred tax assets, analysis of goodwill impairment, valuation of equity-based compensation, capitalization of costs, consolidation of variable interest entities and warranty reserves.

Results of Operations

Year ended December 31, 2017 compared to year ended December 31, 2016

Orders, backlog and cancellations

The following table summarizes certain information related to new orders, settlements and backlog for the twelve months ended December 31, 2017 and 2016.

 

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     Twelve Months Ended December 31,  
($ in 000’s)    2017      2016  

Gross new orders

     88        114  

Cancellations

     14        10  

Net new orders

     74        104  

Gross new order revenue

   $ 47,863      $ 51,153  

Cancellation revenue

   $ 7,509      $ 4,818  

Net new order revenue

   $ 40,354      $ 46,335  

Average gross new order price

   $ 544      $ 449  

Settlements

     89        94  

Settlement revenue—homebuilding

   $ 43,399      $ 40,696  

Average settlement price

   $ 488      $ 433  

Backlog units

     20        35  

Backlog revenue

   $ 13,918      $ 16,670  

Average backlog price

   $ 696      $ 476  

Revenue – homebuilding

The number of units delivered for the year ended December 31, 2017 decreased by 5 to 89 as compared to 94 units for the year ended December 31, 2016. Average revenue per unit delivered increased by $55 to $488 for the year ended December 31, 2017 as compared to $433 for the year ended December 31, 2016. Revenue from homebuilding increased by $2.7 million to $43.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2017 as compared to $40.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2016. For the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company settled 89 units (31 units at Falls Grove, 6 units at Townes at Hallcrest, 2 units at Villas at Two Rivers, 7 units at Estates at Leeland, 18 units at Marrwood East, 6 units at Emerald Farm, 4 units at Powhatan, 1 unit at Redland Road, 3 units at The Woods at Spring Ridge, and 11 units at Totten Mews), as compared to 94 units (4 units at The Hampshires, 33 units at Falls Grove, 13 units at Maxwell Square, 29 units at Townes at Hallcrest, 9 units at Villas at Two Rivers, 5 units at Estates at Leeland, and 1 unit at Marrwood East) for the year ended December 31, 2016. Gross new order revenue, consisting of revenue from all units sold, for the year ended December 31, 2017 was $47.9 million on 88 units as compared to $51.2 million on 114 units for the year ended December 31, 2016. Net new order revenue, representing revenue for all units sold less revenue from cancellations, for the year ended December 31, 2017 was $40.4 million on 74 units as compared to $46.3 million on 104 units for the year ended December 31, 2016. The increase noted in revenue and average sales price were a result of the mix of units settled. Our homebuilding gross margin percentage for the year ended December 31, 2017 increased by 0.5% to 6.5%, as compared to 6.0% for the year ended December 31, 2016. The increase noted in margins was mainly a result of the mix of homes settled and lower overhead costs as a percentage of homebuilding revenue in certain of our communities that had continued settlements.

Revenue – other

Revenue – other increased approximately $1.1 million to $2.0 million during the year ended December 31, 2017, as compared to $0.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2016. The increase primarily relates to the revenue generated from the newly acquired entity, JK Environmental.

Cost of sales – homebuilding

Cost of sales – homebuilding for the year ended December 31, 2017 increased by $2.4 million to $40.6 million as compared to $38.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2016. The mix of homes settled during the year ended December 31, 2017 accounted for the increase in cost of sales.

Cost of sales – other

Cost of sales – other increased approximately $1.9 million to $2.3 million during the year ended December 31, 2017 as compared to $0.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2016. The increase primarily relates to our costs and efforts expended in relation to growing our real estate services line of business, along with the cost of sales from the newly acquired entity, JK Environmental.

 

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Impairment charges and recovery, net

We evaluate all of our projects to the extent of the existence of any impairment indicators requiring evaluation to determine if recorded carrying amounts were recoverable by evaluating discount rates, sales prices, absorption and our analysis of the best approach to marketing our projects for sale.

During 2017 and 2016, as a result of our impairment analysis, the Company wrote off $0.5 million and $2.4 million, respectively, in feasibility, site securing, predevelopment, design, carry costs and related costs for certain of our communities in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area due to unsuccessful negotiations and changes in market conditions. Additionally, during 2016, the Company, through its subsidiaries, and the land seller of a community in the Washington, D.C. area entered into a settlement agreement, and the Company received a refund of $0.7 million representing a portion of the deposit deemed impaired during the Company’s impairment analysis in 2015.

Interest and real estate tax expense

Interest and real estate tax expense for the year ended December 31, 2017 decreased to $0 from $0.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2016. The primary reason for the decrease is due to the amount of interest charges that qualified for interest capitalization because the interest charges were less than the weighted average of the rates applicable to entity level borrowings.

Income taxes

During the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company recognized income tax expense of $38 thousand and the effective tax rate was 0.91%. During the year ended December 31, 2016, the Company recognized income tax expense of $55 thousand and the effective tax rate was 0.82%.

Seasonality and Weather

Our business is affected by seasonality with respect to orders and deliveries. In the market in which we operate, the primary selling season is from January through May as well as September and October. Orders in other months typically are lower. In addition, the markets in which we operate are four-season markets that experience significant periods of rain and snow. Construction cycles and efforts are often adversely affected by severe weather.

Inflation

Inflation can have a significant impact on our business performance and the homebuilding industry in general. Rising costs of land, transportation costs, utility costs, materials, labor, overhead, administrative costs and interest rates on floating credit facilities can adversely affect our business performance. In addition, rising costs of certain items, such as lumber, can adversely affect the expected profitability of our backlog. Generally, we have been able to recover any increases in costs through increased selling prices. However, there is no assurance we will be able to increase selling prices in the future to cover the effects of inflation and other cost increases.

Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

Not applicable.

Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

Reference is made to the consolidated financial statements, the notes thereto, and the report thereon, commencing on page F-1 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

None.

 

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Item 9A. Controls and Procedures

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, has evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures pursuant to Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“Exchange Act”), as December 31, 2017. Disclosure controls and procedures are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in the reports we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the rules and forms of the SEC and that such information is accumulated and communicated to management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Based on this evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of December 31, 2017 due to the material weakness described below.

Notwithstanding the material weakness in our internal controls over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017, management has concluded that the consolidated financial statements and notes to the consolidated financial statements included in this Form 10-K present fairly, in all material respects, our financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States.

Limitations on the Effectiveness of Controls

We do not expect that our disclosure controls and internal controls will prevent all error and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only assurance, at the reasonable assurance level, that the objectives of the control system are met. Further, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

The design of any system of controls also is based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions; over time, a control may become inadequate because of changes in conditions or the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. Because of the inherent limitations in a cost-effective control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and may not be detected.

Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) of the Exchange Act. Internal control over financial reporting consists of policies and procedures that: (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the Company; (2) are designed and operated to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of our financial reporting and our process for the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and that receipts and expenditures of the Company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the Company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of the Company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Our internal control over financial reporting is designed by, and under the supervision of the principal executive officer and principal financial officer and effected by the Company’s Board of Directors, management, and others. Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

Management has evaluated the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017 using the criteria set forth in the Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (“COSO”). A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the company’s annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. In connection with management’s assessment of our internal control over financial reporting described above, management identified deficiencies that in the aggregate constituted a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017.

The material weakness identified related to deficiencies resulting from the insufficient finance and accounting department resources with appropriate knowledge, expertise and training commensurate with the Company’s corporate structure and financial reporting requirements to effectively assess risk, design, operate and oversee internal controls over financial reporting. This lack of appropriate resources was realized as the result of: the resignation of the Company’s corporate controller during the fourth quarter of 2017; the utilization of resources in designing and structuring the Company’s strategic transformation of its business platform model from a for-sale homebuilding to commercial development, asset management and real estate services; and the utilization of available resources in the evaluation, negotiation and execution processes related to the Company’s entry into a long term Master Asset Management Agreement signed by CDS Asset Management, L.C., an entity wholly owned by the Company, with Comstock Development Services LC, on March 30, 2018. Refer to Note 22 to the consolidated financial statements for further discussion of this transaction. This lack of appropriate resources resulted in inconsistent expectations and execution related to the preparation, review and maintenance of documentation critical to the design and consistent execution of internal controls as well as a lack of segregation of duties in certain controls. Further, the lack of appropriate resources resulted in controls that relied upon information that did not have sufficiently precise controls around accuracy and completeness of that information and was therefore not reliable. These factors contributed to deficiencies in the Company’s financial reporting process due to a lack of precision in the review controls over certain information and assumptions impacting various financial reporting areas including those items that are nonrecurring in nature and therefore bear a greater degree of complexity given their infrequency.

As a result of the identified material weakness, management has concluded that we did not maintain effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017. Despite the material weakness, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer have concluded that the consolidated financial statements and notes to the consolidated financial statements included in this report fairly present in all material respects our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented.

Material Weakness Remediation

Management is actively engaged in the planning for, and implementation of, remediation efforts to address the material weakness identified in a timely manner. Specifically, we are taking numerous steps that we believe will address the underlying causes of the material weakness, primarily through the hiring of additional accounting personnel with technical accounting and financial reporting experience, the enhancement of our training programs within our accounting department, and the enhancement of our internal review procedures during the financial statement preparation process.

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

No change has occurred in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act) during our last fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2017, that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

The certifications of our principal executive officer and principal financial officer pursuant to Exchange Act Rules 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a) are filed with this Annual Report on Form 10-K as Exhibits 31.1 and 31.2. The certifications of our principal executive officer and principal financial officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C.1350 are furnished with this Annual Report on Form 10-K as Exhibit 32.1.

Item 9B. Other Information

None.

 

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PART III

Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance

The information required by this Item is incorporated herein by reference to the definitive Proxy Statement to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act for our 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders or the Annual Report on Form 10-K, except that the information relating to our executive officers is included in Item 1, “Business – Executive Officers” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Item 11. Executive Compensation

The information required by this Item is incorporated herein by reference to the definitive Proxy Statement to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act for our 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders or the Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters

The information required by this Item is incorporated herein by reference to the definitive Proxy Statement to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act for our 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders or the Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence

The information required by this Item is incorporated herein by reference to the definitive Proxy Statement to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act for our 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders or the Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services

The information required by this Item is incorporated herein by reference to the definitive Proxy Statement to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act for our 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

PART IV

Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules

(a) The following documents are filed as part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K:

(1) Consolidated Financial Statements are listed in the Index to Financial Statements on page F-1 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

(2) Schedules have been omitted because they are not applicable or because the information required to be set forth therein is included in the consolidated financial statements or notes thereto.

(3) Exhibits

 

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Exhibit

Number

  

Exhibit

  3.1    Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Commission on November 16, 2015).
  3.2    Amended and Restated Bylaws (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Commission on March 31, 2005).
  3.3    Certificate of Elimination of the Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock of the Company filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on March 26, 2015 (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on March 27, 2015).
  3.4    Certificate of Designation of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock of the Company filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on March 26, 2015 (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on March 27, 2015).
  3.5    Certificate of Designation of Series B Non-Convertible Preferred Stock of the Company filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on December 29, 2015 (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on January 4, 2016).
  3.6    Certificate of Designation of Series C Non-Convertible Preferred Stock of Comstock Holding Companies, Inc., filed with the Secretary of the State of Delaware on March 22, 2017 (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on March 28, 2017).
  4.1    Specimen Stock Certificate (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1, as amended, initially filed with the Commission on August 13, 2004 (No. 333-118193)).
10.1    Form of Indemnification Agreement (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1, as amended, initially filed with the Commission on August 13, 2004 (No. 333-118193)).
10.2    2004 Long-Term Incentive Compensation Plan (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1, as amended, initially filed with the Commission on August 13, 2004 (No. 333-118193)). +
10.3    Form Of Stock Option Agreement under the 2004 Long-Term Incentive Compensation Plan (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1, as amended, initially filed with the Commission on August 13, 2004 (No. 333-118193)). +
10.4    Form Of Restricted Stock Grant Agreement under the 2004 Long-Term Incentive Compensation Plan(incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Commission on March 31, 2005). +
10.5    Employee Stock Purchase Plan (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1, as amended, initially filed with the Commission on August 13, 2004 (No. 333-118193)). +
10.6    Services Agreement, dated March  4, 2005, with Comstock Asset Management, L.C. (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Commission on March 31, 2005).
10.7    Employment Agreement with Christopher Clemente (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1, as amended, initially filed with the Commission on August 13, 2004 (No. 333-118193)). +

 

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Exhibit

Number

  

Exhibit

10.8    Confidentiality and Non-Competition Agreement with Christopher Clemente (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1, as amended, initially filed with the Commission on
August 13, 2004 (No. 333-118193)). +
10.9    Trademark License Agreement (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1, as amended, initially filed with the Commission on August 13, 2004 (No. 333-118193)).
10.10    Loan and Security Agreement, dated as of February 2008, by and between the Registrant and Stonehenge Funding, LC. (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Commission on March 24, 2008).
10.11    Guaranty Agreement, dated as of February 2008, by Comstock Potomac Yard, L.C. in favor of Stonehenge Funding, LC (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Commission on March 24, 2008).
10.12    Sixth Loan Modification Agreement, dated as of November  26, 2008, by and among the Registrant and Bank of America, N.A. (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Commission on March 31, 2009).
10.13    Third Amendment of Loan Agreement, dated September  16, 2009, by and among Comstock Penderbrook, L.C., the Registrant and Guggenheim Corporate Funding, LLC (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Commission on November 13, 2009).
10.14    First Amendment to Loan Agreement, dated October  30, 2009, by and among Comstock Station View, L.C., Comstock Potomac Yard, L.C., the Registrant and Key Bank National Association (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Commission on November 13, 2009).
10.15    Forbearance Agreement and Second Amendment to Loan Agreement, dated January  27, 2009, by and among Comstock Penderbrook, L.C., the Registrant and Guggenheim Corporate Funding, LLC (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Commission on March 31, 2010).
10.16    Fourth Amendment to Sublease Agreement and Services Agreement, dated February  26, 2009, with Comstock Asset Management (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Commission on March 31, 2010).
10.17    Lease Agreement, dated on or about December  31, 2009, with Comstock Asset Management, L.C. by Comstock Property Management, L.C., a subsidiary of Registrant (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Commission on March 31, 2010).
10.18    Seventh Loan Modification Agreement dated as of February  25, 2010, by and among the Registrant and Bank of America, N.A. (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Commission on March 31, 2010).

 

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Table of Contents

Exhibit

Number

  

Exhibit

10.19    Memorandum Opinion, filed February  23, 2010, by the US District Court in favor of Comstock Potomac Yard, L.C., a subsidiary of Registrant, against Balfour Beatty Construction, LLC (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Commission on March 31, 2010).
10.20    Second Amended and Restated Indenture, dated as of February  12, 2010, by and among the Registrant and Comstock Asset Management, L.C. (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Commission on November 12, 2010).
10.21    Loan Agreement, dated as of January  27, 2011, by and among Comstock Potomac Yard, L.C. and Eagle Bank (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Commission on March 31, 2011).
10.22    Credit Enhancement and Indemnification Agreement, dated February 17, 2011, by and between Registrant and Christopher  D. Clemente and Gregory V. Benson (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Commission on May 13, 2011).
10.23    Right of First Refusal and First Offer Agreement, dated as of July  12, 2011, between Comstock Homebuilding Companies, Inc. and BridgeCom Development I, LLC (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on July  15, 2011).
10.24    Loan Agreement, dated as of October  5, 2011, by and among Comstock Penderbrook, L.C. and BCL Penderbrook, LLC (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Commission on November 14, 2012).
10.25    Loan Agreement, dated as of May  29, 2012, by and among Eagle Bank and Comstock Potomac Yard, L.C and Comstock Penderbrook, L.C. (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Commission on November 14, 2012).
10.26    Loan agreement, dated as of August  23, 2012, by and between Eagle Bank and New Hampshire Ave. Ventures, LLC (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Commission on November 14, 2012).
10.27    Loan agreement, dated as of September  27, 2012, by and between Cardinal Bank and Comstock Eastgate, L.C. (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Commission on November  14, 2012).
10.28    Loan agreement, dated as of March  25, 2013, by and between Eagle Commercial Ventures, LLC and Comstock Redland Road, L.C. (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Commission on March 27, 2013).
10.29    Loan agreement, dated as of March  25, 2013, by and between Eagle Commercial Ventures, LLC and Comstock Redland Road, L.C. (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Commission on March 27, 2013).
10.30    Loan agreement, dated as of March  25, 2013, by and between Eagle Bank and Comstock Redland Road, L.C. (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Commission on March  27, 2013).
10.31    Loan agreement, dated as of March  25, 2013, by and between Eagle Bank and Comstock Redland Road, L.C. (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Commission on March  27, 2013).
10.32    Form of Subscription Agreement, dated March  14, 2013, between Comstock Investors VII, L.C. and Subscriber, with accompanying Schedule A identifying the other Subscription Agreements (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Commission on May 15, 2013).
10.33    Loan agreement, dated as of May  8, 2013, by and between Cardinal Bank and Comstock Yorkshire, L.C. (incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Commission on August 13, 2013).

 

30


Table of Contents

Exhibit

Number

  

Exhibit

10.34    Loan agreement, dated as of September  30, 2013, by and between Eagle Bank and Comstock Maxwell Square, L.C. (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Commission on November  12, 2013).
10.35    Deferred Purchase Money Promissory Note and a Secured First Deed of Trust dated September  13, 2013 between Comstock Hall Road L.C. and certain of the sellers named therein (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Commission on November 12, 2013).
10.36    Form of Subscription Agreement, dated December  12, 2013, between Comstock Investors VIII L.C., and [-], with accompanying Schedule A identifying other Subscription (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Commission on March 31, 2014).
10.37    Loan agreement, dated December  30, 2013, between Comstock Hall Road, L.C. and Cardinal Bank (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Commission on March 31, 2014).
10.38    Guidance Line of Credit and Security Agreement, dated July  15, 2014 between the Registrant and Eagle Bank (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Commission on November 13, 2014).
10.39    Revolving Line of Credit Note, dated July  15, 2014, between the Registrant and Eagle Bank (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Commission on November 13, 2014).
10.40    Revolving Line of Credit Note, dated July  23, 2014, between Comstock Yorkshire, L.C. and Cardinal Bank (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Commission on
November  13, 2014).
10.41    Amended and Restated Promissory Note, dated December  18, 2014, between Comstock Holding Companies, Inc. and Comstock Growth Fund, L.C. (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Commission on April 14, 2015).
10.42    Form of warrant issued in connection with private placement by Comstock Growth Fund, L.C. (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Commission on April 14, 2015).
10.43    Loan agreement, dated December  19, 2014, between Comstock Two Rivers II, L.C. and Cardinal Bank (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Commission on April 14, 2015).
10.44    Section 382 Rights Agreement between Comstock Holding Companies, Inc. and American Stock Transfer  & Trust Company, LLC dated March 27, 2015 (incorporated by reference to an Exhibit to the current report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on March 27, 2015).
10.45    Loan agreement, dated February  20, 2015, between Comstock Stone Ridge, L.C. and Cardinal Bank (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Commission on May 15, 2015).
10.46    Loan agreement, dated March  17, 2015, between Comstock Two Rivers I, L.C. and Eagle Bank (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Commission on May 15, 2015).
10.47    Subscription Agreement and Operating Agreement, dated June  26, 2015, between Comstock Investors IX, L.C., and [-], with accompanying Schedule A identifying other Subscription (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Commission on August 14, 2015).
10.48    Note Exchange and Subscription Agreement, dated December  29, 2015, between Comstock Holding Companies, Inc. and Stonehenge Funding, LC (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Commission on April  4, 2016).
10.49    Revolving Line of Credit Promissory Note, dated December  29, 2015, between Comstock Holding Companies, Inc. and Comstock Growth Fund II, L.C. (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Commission on April 4, 2016).

 

31


Table of Contents

Exhibit

Number

 

Exhibit

10.50   Form of Subscription Agreement and Operating Agreement dated August  15, 2016, between Comstock Investors X, L.C. and [-], with accompanying Schedule A identifying subscribers (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Commission on November 14, 2016).
10.51   Form of Warrant issued in connection with private placement by Comstock Investors X, L.C. (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Commission on November 14, 2016).
10.52   Land Purchase Agreement, between Comstock Sixth Street, LLC and Thos. Somerville Co. (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Commission on November 14, 2016).
10.53   Membership Interests Agreement, between Comstock Beshers, L.C. and Dresden, LLC (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Commission on November 14, 2016).
10.54   Loan agreement, between Dresden, LLC, Comstock Emerald Farm, L.C. and Cardinal Bank (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Commission on November 14, 2016).
10.55   Promissory note, between Comstock Beshers, L.C. and Year 2003 Trust for Descendants, Pleasants Associates Limited Partnership, and CJC, LLC (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Commission on November 14, 2016).
10.56   Loan agreement, between Comstock Powhatan, L.C. and Cardinal Bank (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Commission on November 14, 2016).
10.57   Purchase and Sale Agreement, dated October  24, 2016, between Comstock Redland Road II, L.C. and Momentum Apartments, LLC (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Commission on April  17, 2017).
10.58   Operating Agreement, dated October  24, 2016, between Comstock Redland Road III, L.C. and SCG Development Partners, LLC to form Momentum General Partners, LLC (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Commission on April 17, 2017).
10.59   Share Exchange Agreement between Comstock Holding Companies, Inc. and Investor Management, L.C., Christopher Clemente and Teresa A. Schar dated March 22, 2017 (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on March 28, 2017).
10.60   Loan agreement between Comstock Sixth Street, LLC and Eagle Bank (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Commission on May 15, 2017).
10.61   Series C Repurchase Agreement between the Company and Investor Management, L.C. (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Commission on May 15, 2017).
10.62   Asset Purchase Agreement, dated July 14, 2017, between CDS Capital Management, L.C., and Monridge Environmental, LLC (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Commission on November 16, 2017).
10.63   Amendment to the Operating Agreement, dated October 13, 2017, between Comstock Investors X, L.C. and Comstock Development Services, L.C. (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Commission on November 16, 2017).
10.64   Form of Warrant, dated October 13, 2017, between Comstock Investors X, L.C. and Comstock Development Services, L.C. (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on November 16, 2017).
14.1(2)   Code of Ethics (incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Commission on March 31, 2005).
21.1*   List of subsidiaries
23.1*   Consent of BDO USA, LLP
31.1*   Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
31.2*   Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302 of Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
32.1*   Certification of Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 906 of Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
101*   The following materials from the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017, formatted in eXtensible Business Language (XBRL): (i) the Consolidated Balance Sheet, (ii) the Consolidated Statements of Operations, (iii) the Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholder’s Equity, (iv) the Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows and (v) the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

* Filed herewith.
+ Management contracts or compensatory plans, contracts or arrangements

 

32


Table of Contents

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

 

COMSTOCK HOLDING COMPANIES, INC.

Date: April 20, 2018  

By:

  /S/ CHRISTOPHER CLEMENTE
   

Christopher Clemente

   

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the date indicated.

 

Signature

  

Capacity

 

Date

/s/ CHRISTOPHER CLEMENTE

Christopher Clemente

  

Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive

Officer (Principal Executive Officer)

  April 20, 2018

/s/ CHRISTOPHER L. CONOVER

Christopher L. Conover

   Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer)   April 20, 2018

/s/ A. CLAYTON PERFALL

A. Clayton Perfall

   Director   April 20, 2018

/s/ DAVID M. GUERNSEY

David M. Guernsey

   Director   April 20, 2018
/s/ JAMES A. MACCUTCHEON    Director   April 20, 2018
James A. MacCutcheon     
/s/ NORMAN D. CHIRITE    Director   April 20, 2018
Norman D. Chirite     
/s/ ROBERT P. PINCUS    Director   April 20, 2018
Robert P. Pincus     
/s/ SOCRATES VERSES    Director   April 20, 2018
Socrates Verses     
/s/ JOSEPH M. SQUERI    Director   April 20, 2018
Joseph M. Squeri     

 

33


Table of Contents

INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

     Page  

COMSTOCK HOLDING COMPANIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

  

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

     F-2  

Consolidated Balance Sheets at December 31, 2017 and 2016

     F-3  

Consolidated Statements of Operations for the Years Ended December  31, 2017 and 2016

     F-4  

Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity for the Years Ended December 31, 2017 and 2016

     F-5  

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Years Ended December  31, 2017 and 2016

     F-6  

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

     F-7  

 

F-1


Table of Contents

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

Stockholders and Board of Directors

Comstock Holding Companies, Inc.

Reston, Virginia

Opinion on the Consolidated Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Comstock Holding Companies, Inc. (the “Company”) and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, the related consolidated statements of operations, changes in stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2017, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company and subsidiaries at December 31, 2017 and 2016, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2017, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Basis for Opinion

These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

/s/ BDO USA, LLP

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2016.

McLean, Virginia

April 20, 2018

 

F-2


Table of Contents

COMSTOCK HOLDING COMPANIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(Amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

    December 31,
2017
    December 31,
2016
 

ASSETS

   

Cash and cash equivalents

  $ 1,806     $ 5,761  

Restricted cash

    1,141       1,238  

Trade receivables

    636       613  

Real estate inventories

    44,711       49,842  

Fixed assets, net

    309       255  

Goodwill and intangibles

    1,939       —    

Other assets, net

    616       2,112  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

TOTAL ASSETS

  $ 51,158     $ 59,821  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

   

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities

  $ 9,116     $ 7,721  

Notes payable—secured by real estate inventories, net of deferred financing charges

    23,215       26,927  

Notes payable—due to affiliates, unsecured, net of discount

    14,893       15,866  

Notes payable—unsecured, net of deferred financing charges

    1,285       911  

Income taxes payable

    39       19  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

TOTAL LIABILITIES

    48,548       51,444  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Commitments and contingencies (Note 10)

   

STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY (DEFICIT)

   

Series C preferred stock, $0.01 par value, 3,000,000 shares authorized, 579,158 and 0 shares issued and liquidation preference of $2,896 and $0 at December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively

  $ 442     $ —    

Series B preferred stock, $0.01 par value, 3,000,000 shares authorized, 0 and 841,848 shares issued and liquidation preference of $0 and $4,209 at December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively

    —         1,280  

Class A common stock, $0.01 par value, 11,038,071 shares authorized, 3,295,518 and 3,035,922 issued and outstanding, respectively

    33       30  

Class B common stock, $0.01 par value, 220,250 and 390,500 shares authorized, issued and outstanding, respectively

    2       4  

Additional paid-in capital

    177,612       176,251  

Treasury stock, at cost (85,570 shares Class A common stock)

    (2,662     (2,662

Accumulated deficit

    (189,803     (184,778
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

TOTAL COMSTOCK HOLDING COMPANIES, INC. DEFICIT

    (14,376     (9,875

Non-controlling interests

    16,986       18,252  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

TOTAL EQUITY

    2,610       8,377  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

  $ 51,158     $ 59,821  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

F-3


Table of Contents

COMSTOCK HOLDING COMPANIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(Amounts in thousands, except per share data)

 

     For the years ended December 31,  
     2017     2016  

Revenues

    

Revenue—homebuilding

   $ 43,399     $ 40,696  

Revenue—other

     2,031       884  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total revenue

     45,430       41,580  

Expenses

    

Cost of sales—homebuilding

     40,585       38,236  

Cost of sales—other

     2,297       427  

Impairment charges and recovery, net

     526       1,703  

Sales and marketing

     1,490       1,606  

General and administrative

     5,297       5,586  

Interest and real estate tax expense

     41       886  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating loss

     (4,806     (6,864

Other income, net

     66       157  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Loss before income tax expense

     (4,740     (6,707

Income tax expense

     (38     (55
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss

     (4,778     (6,762

Net income attributable to non-controlling interests

     247       2,231  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss attributable to Comstock Holding Companies, Inc.

     (5,025     (8,993

Paid-in-kind dividends on Series B Preferred Stock

     78       348  

Extinguishment of Series B Preferred Stock

     (1,011     —    
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss attributable to common stockholders

   $ (4,092   $ (9,341
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Basic loss per share

   $ (1.21   $ (2.81

Diluted loss per share

   $ (1.21   $ (2.81

Basic weighted average shares outstanding

     3,370       3,321  

Diluted weighted average shares outstanding

     3,370       3,321  

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

F-4


Table of Contents

COMSTOCK HOLDING COMPANIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN

STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

(Amounts in thousands, except per share data)

 

                                                                   
    Series B     Series C                             Additional                 Non-     Total  
  Preferred Stock     Preferred Stock     Class A     Class B     paid-in     Treasury    

Accumulated

    controlling    
    Shares     Amount     Shares     Amount     Shares     Amount     Shares     Amount     capital     stock     deficit     interest    

Balance at January 1, 2016

    772     $ 1,174       —       $ —         2,997     $ 30       390     $ 4     $ 175,963     $ (2,662   $ (175,785   $ 6,717     $ 5,441  

Stock compensation and issuances

    —         —         —         —         43       —             144             144  

Shares withheld related to net share settlement of restricted stock awards

    —         —         —         —         (5     —         —         —         (8     —         —         —         (8

Dividends paid in-kind

    70       106       —         —         —         —         —         —         (106     —         —         —         —    

Non-controlling interest contributions

    —         —         —         —         —         —         —         —         258       —         —         14,242       14,500  

Non-controlling interest distributions

    —         —         —         —         —         —         —         —         —         —         —         (4,938     (4,938

Net (loss) income

    —         —         —         —         —         —         —         —         —         —         (8,993     2,231       (6,762
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Balance at December 31, 2016

    842     $ 1,280       —       $ —         3,035     $ 30       390     $ 4     $ 176,251     $ (2,662   $ (184,778   $ 18,252     $ 8,377  

Stock compensation and issuances

    —         —         —         —         90       1       —         —         531       —         —         —         532  

Shares withheld related to net share settlement of restricted stock awards

    —         —         —         —         —         —         —         —         —         —         —         —         —    

Series B Conversion to Series C

    (858     (1,304     772       589       —         —         —         —         715       —         —         —         —    

Stock repurchases and issuances

    —         —         (193     (147     170       2       (170     (2     58       —         —         —         (89

Dividends paid in-kind

    16       24       —         —         —         —         —         —         (24     —         —         —         —    

Non-controlling interest contributions

    —         —         —         —         —         —         —         —         81       —         —         4,919       5,000  

Non-controlling interest distributions

    —         —         —         —         —         —         —         —         —         —         —         (6,432     (6,432

Net (loss) income

    —         —         —         —         —         —         —         —         —         —         (5,025     247       (4,778
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Balance at December 31, 2017

    —       $ —         579     $ 442       3,295     $ 33       220     $ 2     $ 177,612     $ (2,662   $ (189,803   $ 16,986     $ 2,610  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

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COMSTOCK HOLDING COMPANIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Amounts in thousands, except per share data)

 

     For the years ended December 31,  
     2017     2016  

Cash flows from operating activities:

    

Net loss

   $ (4,778   $ (6,762

Adjustment to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities

    

Amortization of loan discount, loan commitment, deferred financing fees and intangible assets

     1,105       1,046  

Deferred income tax benefit

     —         7  

Depreciation and amortization expense

     181       181  

Earnings from unconsolidated joint venture, net of distributions

     30       16  

Stock compensation

     346       69  

Impairment charges

     526       2,425  

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

    

Purchaser escrow deposits

     335       1,096  

Trade receivables

     271       (281

Real estate inventories

     4,778       (11,090

Other assets

     787       569  

Accrued interest

    
107
 
    748  

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities

     1,356       141  

Income taxes payable

     20       19  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities

     5,064       (11,816
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cash flows from investing activities:

    

Business acquisition, net of cash acquired

     (579     —    

Purchase of fixed assets

     (54     (42

Principal received on note receivable

     37       37  

Collateral for letters of credit

     (238     232  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities

     (834     227  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cash flows from financing activities:

    

Proceeds from notes payable

     23,517       29,235  

Payments on notes payable

     (29,947     (33,735

Loan financing costs

     (234     (152

Distributions to non-controlling interests

     (6,432     (4,938

Contributions from non-controlling interests

     5,000       14,500  

Repurchase of Series C Preferred Stock

     (89     —    

Taxes paid related to net share settlement of equity awards

     —         (8
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities

     (8,185     4,902  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents

     (3,955     (6,687

Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period

     5,761       12,448  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents, end of period

   $ 1,806     $ 5,761  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Supplemental cash flow information:

    

Interest paid, net of interest capitalized

   $ (493   $ (73

Income taxes paid

   $ (18   $ —    

Supplemental disclosure for non-cash activity:

    

Business acquisition notes payable

   $ 1,710     $ —    

Seller’s note payable

   $ 115     $ 2,124  

Accrued liability settled through issuance of stock

   $ 127     $ 58  

Increase in Series B preferred stock value in connection with dividends paid in-kind

   $ 24     $ —    

Conversion of Class B common stock to Class A common stock

   $ 2     $ —    

Extinguishment of Series B preferred stock

   $ 1,011     $ —    

Increase in class A common stock par value in connection with issuance of stock compensation

   $ 1     $ —    

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

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COMSTOCK HOLDING COMPANIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Amounts in thousands, except per share data, number of units, or as otherwise noted)

1. ORGANIZATION

Comstock Holding Companies, Inc., incorporated in 2004 as a Delaware corporation, is a multi-faceted real estate development and services company primarily focused in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. In 2018, the Company has changed its focus to commercial development, asset management, and provision of complementary real estate related services, transitioning from its primary reliance upon revenue generated by production-oriented, for-sale homebuilding. To accomplish the transition from homebuilding to the new lines of business, the Company will operate through two real estate focused platforms – CDS Asset Management, LC (“CAM”) and Comstock Real Estate Services, LC (“CRES”). References in this Annual Report on Form 10-K to “Comstock,” “Company,” “we,” “our” and “us” refer to Comstock Holding Companies, Inc. together in each case with our subsidiaries and any predecessor entities unless the context suggests otherwise.

The Company’s Class A common stock is traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market (“NASDAQ”) under the symbol “CHCI”.

Liquidity Developments

We require capital to operate, to post deposits on new potential acquisitions, to purchase and develop land, to construct homes, to fund related carrying costs and overhead and to fund various advertising and marketing programs to generate sales. These expenditures include payroll, community engineering, entitlement, architecture, advertising, utilities and interest as well as the construction costs of our homes. Our sources of capital have historically included, private equity and debt placements (which has included significant participation from Company insiders), funds derived from various secured and unsecured borrowings to finance acquisition, development and construction on acquired land, cash flow from operations, which includes the sale and delivery of constructed homes and finished and raw building lots. The Company is involved in ongoing discussions with lenders and equity sources in order to obtain additional growth capital to fund various new business opportunities. See Note 10 for more details on our credit facilities and Note 15 for details on private placement offerings in 2017 and 2016.

As of December 31, 2017, $16.0 million of the Company’s secured project related notes were set to mature at various periods through the end of 2018. As of April 20, 2018, the Company has successfully extended or repaid all obligations with Lenders through April 20, 2018, as more fully described in Note 10 and Note 22, and we are actively engaging our lenders seeking long term extensions and modifications to the loans where necessary. These debt instruments impose certain restrictions on our operations, including speculative unit construction limitations, curtailment obligations and financial covenant compliance. If we fail to comply with any of these restrictions, an event of default could occur. Additionally, events of default could occur if we fail to make required debt service payments or if we fail to come to agreement on an extension on a certain facility prior to a given loan’s maturity date. Any event of default would likely render the obligations under these instruments due and payable as of that event. Any such event of default would allow certain of our lenders to exercise cross default provisions in our loan agreements with them, such that if we default on an obligation, all debt with that particular institution could be called into default.

At December 31, 2017, $14.9 million of our notes payable to affiliates were set to mature prior to the end of 2018. These funds were primarily obtained from entities wholly owned by our Chief Executive Officer, who has unilateral ability to extend the maturity dates beyond 2018 as needed. The current performance of our projects has met all required servicing obligations required by the facilities. We are anticipating that with successful resolution of the debt extension discussions with our lenders, the recently completed capital raises from our private placements, current available cash on hand, and additional cash from settlement proceeds at existing and under development communities, the Company will have sufficient financial resources to sustain its operations through the next 12 months, though no assurances can be made that the Company will be successful in its efforts. Refer to Note 10 for further discussion regarding extensions and Note 22 for other subsequent events impacting our credit facilities.

 

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2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

A summary of the significant accounting policies and practices used in the preparation of the consolidated financial statements is as follows:

Basis of presentation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”) and include the accounts of the Company and all of its majority-owned and controlled subsidiaries. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated. Investments in 50% or less owned partnerships and affiliates are accounted for using the equity method unless it is determined that the Company has control of the entity, in which case the entity would be consolidated. The Company had one joint venture investment accounted for using the equity method as of December 31, 2017 and 2016.

Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash

Cash and cash equivalents are comprised of cash and short-term investments with maturities of three months or less when purchased. At times, the Company may have deposits with institutions in excess of federally insured limits. We monitor the cash balances in our bank accounts and adjust the balance as appropriate. To date, we have not experienced loss or lack of access to our invested cash or cash equivalents; however, we can provide no assurance that access to our cash and cash equivalents will not be impacted by adverse conditions in the financial market. At December 31, 2017 and 2016, the Company had restricted cash of $1.1 million and $1.2 million, respectively, related to restricted purchaser escrow deposits and cash held in escrow as collateral for letters of credit.

Trade Receivables

Trade receivables are recorded at the amount invoiced. We reduce accounts receivable by estimating an allowance for amounts that may become uncollectible in the future. Management determines the estimated allowance for uncollectible amounts based on their judgements in evaluating the aging of the receivables and the financial condition of our clients, which may be dependent on the type of client and the client’s current financial condition.

Real estate inventories

Real estate inventories include land, land development costs, construction and other costs. Real estate held for development and use is stated at cost, or when circumstances or events indicate that the real estate is impaired, at estimated fair value. Real estate held for sale is carried at the lower of cost or fair value less estimated costs to sell. Land, land development and indirect land development costs are accumulated by specific project and allocated to various units within that project using specific identification and allocation based upon the relative sales value, unit or area methods. Direct construction costs are assigned to units based on specific identification. Construction costs primarily include direct construction costs and capitalized field overhead. Other costs are comprised of fees, capitalized interest and real estate taxes. We also use our best estimate at the end of a reporting period to capitalize estimated construction and development costs. Costs incurred to sell real estate are capitalized to the extent they are reasonably expected to be recovered from the sale of the project and are tangible assets or services performed to obtain regulatory approval of sales. Other selling costs are expensed as incurred.

If the project is considered held for sale, it is valued at the lower of cost or fair value less estimated selling costs. The evaluation takes into consideration the current status of the property, carrying costs, costs of disposition, various restrictions and any other circumstances that may affect fair value including management’s plans for the property. For assets held for development and use, a write-down to estimated fair value is recorded when the net carrying value of the property exceeds its estimated undiscounted future cash flows. Estimated fair value is based on comparable sales of real estate in the normal course of business under existing and anticipated market conditions. These evaluations are made on a property-by-property basis whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the net book value may not be recoverable. As of December 31, 2017 and 2016, the Company did not have any development projects considered to be held for sale.

Capitalized interest and real estate taxes

Interest and real estate taxes incurred relating to the development of lots and parcels are capitalized to real estate inventories during the active development period, which generally commences when borrowings are used to acquire real estate assets and ends when the properties are substantially complete or the property becomes inactive. A project becomes inactive when development and construction activities have been suspended indefinitely. Interest is capitalized based on the interest rate applicable to specific borrowings or the weighted average of the rates applicable to other borrowings during the period. Interest and real estate taxes capitalized to real estate inventories are expensed as a component of cost of sales as related units are settled.

 

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The following table is a summary of interest and real estate taxes incurred, capitalized and expensed for units settled:

 

     Twelve Months Ended December 31  
     2017      2016  

Total interest incurred and capitalized

   $ 4,223      $ 3,227  

Total real estate taxes incurred and capitalized

     354        240  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total interest and real estate taxes incurred and capitalized

   $ 4,577      $ 3,467  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Interest expensed as a component of cost of sales

   $ 2,604      $ 1,833  

Real estate taxes expensed as a component of cost of sales

     267        235  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Interest and real estate taxes expensed as a component of cost of sales

   $ 2,871      $ 2,068  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

The amount of interest from entity level borrowings that we are able to capitalize in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 835 is dependent upon the average accumulated expenditures that exceed project specific borrowings. Additionally, when a project becomes inactive, its interest, real estate taxes and indirect production overhead costs are no longer capitalized but rather expensed in the period they are incurred.

The following is a breakdown of the interest and real estate taxes expensed in the consolidated statement of operations for the periods presented:

 

    Twelve Months Ended December 31,  
    2017     2016  

Interest incurred and expensed from entity level borrowings

  $ —       $ 876  

Interest incurred and expensed for inactive projects

    41       5  

Real estate taxes incurred and expensed for inactive projects

    —         5  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 
  $ 41     $ 886  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Fixed assets

Fixed assets are carried at cost less accumulated depreciation and are depreciated on the straight-line method over their estimated useful lives as follows:

 

Furniture and fixtures

     7 years  

Office equipment and vehicles

     5 years  

Leasehold improvements

     life of related lease  

Computer equipment

     3 years  

Capitalized software

     3 years  

When assets are retired or otherwise disposed of, the cost and accumulated depreciation are removed from their separate accounts and any gain or loss on sale is reflected in operations. Expenditures for maintenance and repairs are charged to expense as incurred.

Goodwill and Intangible Assets

Goodwill represents the excess of the aggregate purchase price over the fair value of the net assets acquired in a business acquisition. Following an acquisition, we perform an analysis to value the acquired company’s tangible and identifiable intangible assets and liabilities. With respect to identifiable intangible assets, we consider backlog, non-compete agreements, client relations, trade names, patents and other assets. We amortize our intangible assets based on the period over which the contractual or economic benefits of the intangible assets are expected to be realized. We assess the recoverability of the unamortized balance of our intangible assets when indicators of impairment are present based on expected future profitability and undiscounted expected cash flows and their contribution to our overall operations. Should the review indicate that the carrying value is not fully recoverable, the excess of the carrying value over the fair value of the intangible assets would be recognized as an impairment loss.

 

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We test our goodwill for impairment on an annual basis, and more frequently when an event occurs or circumstances indicate that the carrying value of the asset may not be recoverable. We believe the methodology that we use to review impairment of goodwill, which includes a significant amount of judgment and estimates, provides us with a reasonable basis to determine whether impairment has occurred.

We perform our annual goodwill impairment review during our fiscal fourth quarter and our first annual review will be performed in 2018. In addition, we regularly evaluate whether events and circumstances have occurred that may indicate a potential change in recoverability of goodwill. We perform interim goodwill impairment reviews between our annual reviews if certain events and circumstances have occurred, including a deterioration in general economic conditions, an increased competitive environment, a change in management, key personnel, strategy or customers, negative or declining cash flows, or a decline in actual or planned revenue or earnings compared with actual and projected results of relevant prior periods.

The impairment test for goodwill is a two-step process involving the comparison of the estimated fair value of each reporting unit to the reporting unit’s carrying value, including goodwill. We estimate the fair value of reporting units based on a comparison and weighting of the income approach, specifically the discounted cash flow method and the market approach, which estimates the fair value of our reporting units based upon comparable market prices and recent transactions and also validates the reasonableness of the multiples from the income approach. If the fair value of a reporting unit exceeds its carrying amount, the goodwill of the reporting unit is not considered impaired; therefore, the second step of the impairment test is unnecessary. If the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, we perform the second step of the goodwill impairment test to measure the amount of impairment loss to be recorded. If our goodwill is impaired, we are required to record a non-cash charge that could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial statements.

Warranty reserve

Warranty reserves for units settled are established to cover potential costs for materials and labor with regard to warranty-type claims expected to arise during the typical one-year warranty period provided by the Company or within the two-year statutorily mandated structural warranty period for condominiums. Because the Company typically subcontracts its homebuilding work, subcontractors are required to provide the Company with an indemnity and a certificate of insurance prior to receiving payments for their work. Claims relating to workmanship and materials are generally the primary responsibility of the subcontractors and product manufacturers. The warranty reserve is established at the time of closing, and is calculated based upon historical warranty cost experience and current business factors. This reserve is an estimate and actual warranty costs could vary from these estimates. Variables used in the calculation of the reserve, as well as the adequacy of the reserve based on the number of homes still under warranty, are reviewed on a periodic basis. Warranty claims are directly charged to the reserve as they arise. The following table is a summary of warranty reserve activity, which is included in accounts payable and accrued liabilities:

 

     Years ended
December 31,
 
     2017      2016  

Balance at beginning of period

   $ 287      $ 312  

Additions

     178        233  

Releases and/or charges incurred

     (207      (258
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Balance at end of period

   $ 258      $ 287  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Revenue recognition

We recognize revenues and related profits or losses from the sale of residential properties and units, finished lots and land sales when closing has occurred, full payment is reasonably assured, title and possession of the property has transferred to the buyer and we have no significant continuing involvement in the property. Other revenues include revenue from land sales, rental revenue from leased multi-family units, which is recognized ratably over the terms of the respective leases and revenue from construction services which is recognized under the percentage-of-completion method.

 

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We consider revenue to be from homebuilding when there is a structure built or being built on the lot at closing when cash receipt is reasonably assured and the title is transferred along with the risks and rewards of ownership. Sales of lots occur, and are included in other revenues, when we sell raw land or finished home sites in advance of any home construction.

Revenues generated through real estate professional services such as management and administrative support, environmental design, engineering and remediation are recognized when the services have been provided, the benefits of the services are transferred to the customer and our performance obligations are satisfied.

Advertising costs

The total amount of advertising costs charged to operations for the year ended December 31, 2017 was $568, of which $560 was charged to sales and marketing and $8 was charged to general and administrative expenses. The total amount of advertising costs charged to operations for the year ended December 31, 2016 was $586, of which $542 was charged to sales and marketing and $44 was charged to general and administrative expenses.

Stock compensation

As discussed in Note 14, the Company sponsors stock option plans and restricted stock award plans. The Company accounts for its share-based awards pursuant to Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 718, Share Based Payments. ASC 718 requires all share-based payments to employees, including grants of employee stock options, to be recognized in the financial statements over the vesting period based on their fair values at the date of grant. For the year ended December 31, 2017, total stock based compensation cost was $405 of which, $346 was charged to expenses within ‘general and administrative’ and ‘cost of sales-other’ in the consolidated statement of operations, and $59 was capitalized to ‘Real estate inventories’. For the year ended December 31, 2016, total stock based compensation cost was $86 of which, $69 was charged to expenses within ‘general and administrative’ and ‘cost of sales-other’ in the consolidated statement of operations, and $17 was capitalized to ‘Real estate inventories’.

Income taxes

Income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method in accordance with ASC 740, Accounting for Income Taxes. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax basis. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect of a change in tax rates on the deferred tax assets and liabilities is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. We provide a valuation allowance when we consider it “more likely than not” (greater than a 50% probability) that a deferred income tax asset will not be fully recovered. Adjustments to the valuation allowance are a component of the deferred income tax expense or benefit in the consolidated statement of operations.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was enacted on December 22, 2017 with an effective date of January 1, 2018. The results of the Tax Act include, among others, a reduction to the corporate federal income tax rate from 35% to 21%, the repeal of the Alternative Minimum Tax, and the allowance of net operating losses arising in tax years ending after 2017 to be carried forward indefinitely, subject to limitation. The law introduces substantial changes to the Internal Revenue Code, with extensive implications for our federal current and deferred income tax provision. For further information, see Note 19 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statement included in this report.

Loss per share

The weighted average shares and share equivalents used to calculate basic and diluted loss per share for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 are presented on the consolidated statement of operations. Restricted stock awards, stock options and warrants for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 are included in the diluted loss per share calculation using the treasury stock method and average market prices during the periods, unless the restricted stock award, stock options and warrants would be anti-dilutive.

 

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As a result of net losses for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, diluted net loss per share excludes the effects of common stock equivalents consisting of restricted stock awards and warrants, which are anti-dilutive. The following number of shares have been excluded from consideration in the calculation of diluted net loss per share were:

 

     Twelve Months Ended December 31,  
     2017      2016  

Restricted stock awards

     83        —    

Warrants

     11        —    
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
     94        —    
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

As of December 31, 2017 and 2016, warrants of 763 and 851, respectively; stock options of 666 and 404, respectively; and restricted stock awards of zero and 22, respectively; were excluded from the table above as the shares related were considered anti-dilutive as a result of the treasury method calculation.

Comprehensive income (loss)

For the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, comprehensive income (loss) equaled net income (loss); therefore, a separate statement of comprehensive income (loss) is not included in the consolidated financial statements.

Segment reporting

During 2017 and 2016, we operated our business through three segments: Homebuilding, Multi-family and Real Estate Services. We are focused on the Washington, D.C. market. In 2018, we revised our business strategy and transitioned our business operations to three operating segments; Homebuilding, Asset Management and Real Estate Services.

In our Homebuilding segment, we develop properties with the intent to sell as fee-simple properties or condominiums to individual buyers or to private or institutional investors. Our for-sale products are designed to attract first-time, early move-up, and secondary move-up buyers. We focus on products that we are able to offer for sale in the middle price points within the markets where we operate, avoiding the very low-end and high-end products.

In our Multi-family segment we focus on projects ranging from approximately 75 to 200 units in locations that are supply constrained with demonstrated demand for stabilized assets. We seek opportunities in the multi-family rental market where our experience and core capabilities can be leveraged. We will either position the assets for sale when completed or operate the asset within our own portfolio. Operating the asset for our own account affords us the flexibility of converting the units to condominiums in the future.

In our Real Estate Services segment we pursue projects in all aspects of real estate management including strategic planning, land development, entitlement, property management, sales and marketing, workout and turnaround strategies, financing and general construction. We are able to provide a wide range of construction management, environmental assessments and remediation services, and general contracting services to other property owners.

The following disclosure includes the Company’s three reportable segments of Homebuilding, Multi-family and Real Estate Services. Each of these segments operates within the Company’s single Washington, D.C. reportable geographic segment.

 

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    Homebuilding     Multi-Family     Real Estate
Services
    Total  

Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2017

       

Gross revenue

  $ 43,399     $ —       $ 2,031     $ 45,430  

Gross profit

    2,814       —         (268     2,546  

Net (loss) income

    (4,348     —         (430     (4,778

Total assets

    47,474       —         3,684       51,158  

Depreciation, amortization, and stock based compensation

    409       —         177       586  

Interest expense

    —         —         41       41  

Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2016

       

Gross revenue

  $ 40,696     $ —       $ 884     $ 41,580  

Gross profit

    2,460       —         457       2,917  

Net (loss) income

    (7,219     —         457       (6,762

Total assets

    59,688       —         133       59,821  

Depreciation, amortization, and stock based compensation

    258       —         10       268  

Interest expense

    881       —         —         881  

The Company allocates sales, marketing and general and administrative expenses to the individual segments based upon specifically allocable costs.

Use of estimates

The preparation of the financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Material estimates are utilized in the valuation of real estate inventories, valuation of deferred tax assets, analysis of goodwill impairment, valuation of equity-based compensation, capitalization of costs, consolidation of variable interest entities and warranty reserves.

Reclassifications

Certain amounts in the prior year consolidated financial statements have been reclassified to the current year presentation. The impact of the reclassifications made to prior year amounts is not material and did not affect net loss.

Recent accounting pronouncements

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers” (“ASU 2014-09”). ASU 2014-09 provides a single comprehensive model for entities to use in accounting for revenue arising from contracts with customers and supersedes most current revenue recognition guidance, including industry-specific guidance. ASU No. 2014-09 will require an entity to recognize revenue when it transfers promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-14, which deferred the effective date of ASU 2014-09 for one year, which would make the guidance effective for the Company’s first fiscal year beginning after December 15, 2017. Entities may use either the full retrospective or modified retrospective methods of adoption. The Company has completed its evaluation of the impact of the adoption of ASU 2014-09 for its homebuilding and construction services revenue streams, and believes that there will be no material impact to its consolidated financial statements, except enhanced disclosure regarding revenue recognition, including disclosures of revenue streams, performance obligations, variable consideration and the related judgments and estimates necessary to apply the new standard. The Company adopted using the modified retrospective method effective January 1, 2018 and anticipates completing the implementation in connection with its first quarter 2018 interim financial statements.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, “Leases”. The core principle of the standard is that a lessee should recognize the assets and liabilities that arise from leases. A lessee should recognize in its statement of financial position a liability to make lease payments (the lease liability) and a right-of-use asset representing its right to use the underlying asset for the lease term. ASU 2016-02 is effective for public companies for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018 and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact this new standard will have on our consolidated financial statements.

 

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In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230), Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments (“ASU 2016-15”). ASU 2016-15 reduces the existing diversity in practice in financial reporting across all industries by clarifying certain existing principles in ASC 230, Statement of Cash Flows, including providing additional guidance on how and what an entity should consider in determining the classification of certain cash flows. Additionally, in November 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-18, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230), Restricted Cash (“ASU 2016-18”). ASU 2016-18 clarifies certain existing principles in ASC 230, Statement of Cash Flows, including providing additional guidance related to transfers between cash and restricted cash and how entities present, in their statement of cash flows, the cash receipts and cash payments that directly affect the restricted cash accounts. Both ASU 2016-15 and ASU 2016-18 will be effective for the Company’s fiscal year beginning January 1, 2018 and subsequent interim periods. The adoption of ASU 2016-15 will modify the Company’s current disclosures and reclassifications within the consolidated statement of cash flows but is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. The adoption of ASU 2016-18 will result in restricted cash of $1,141 being included with cash.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-01, “Business Combinations (Topic 805), Clarifying the Definition of a Business”, which provides a more robust framework to use in determining when a set of assets and activities (collectively referred to as a “set”) is a business. The standard requires that when substantially all of the fair value of the gross assets acquired (or disposed of) is concentrated in a single identifiable asset or a group of similar identifiable assets, the set is not a business. ASU 2017-01 is effective for public business entities for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those periods. The amendments in ASU 2017-01 should be applied prospectively on or after the effective date. We do not expect the adoption of ASU 2017-01 to have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-04, “Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment,” which removes Step 2 from the goodwill impairment test and replaces the qualitative assessment. Impairment will be measured using the difference between the carrying amount and the fair value of the reporting unit. Under this revised guidance, failing Step 1 will always result in a goodwill impairment. The amendments in this update should be applied prospectively for annual and interim periods in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted for goodwill impairment tests with measurement dates after January 1, 2017. We do not expect the adoption of ASU 2017-04 to have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements.

In May 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-09, “Compensation—Stock Compensation (Topic 718)—Scope of Modification Accounting.” The amendments in this update provide guidance about which changes to the terms or conditions of a share-based payment award require an entity to apply modification accounting. ASU 2017-09 is effective for fiscal years, including interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2017. The amendments in this update should be applied prospectively to an award modified on or after the adoption date. We do not expect the adoption of ASU 2017-09 to have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements.

Other accounting pronouncements issued or effective during the year ended December 31, 2017 are not applicable to us or are not anticipated to have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements.

3. TRADE RECEIVABLES

Trade receivables include amounts due from real estate services, home sales transactions and amounts due from related parties with whom we have service arrangements.

 

    December 31,     December 31,  
  2017     2016  

Trade

  $ 432     $ —    

Due from Settlement Attorneys

    —         432  

Related parties

    145       132  

Other

    59       49  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 
    636       613  

Less : allowance for doubtful accounts

    —         —    
 

 

 

   

 

 

 
  $ 636     $ 613  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

4. REAL ESTATE INVENTORIES

Real estate inventories include land, land development costs, construction and other costs. Real estate held for development and use is stated at cost, or when circumstances or events indicate that the real estate is impaired, at estimated fair value. Real estate held for sale is carried at the lower of cost or fair value less estimated costs to sell. Land, land development and indirect land development costs are accumulated by specific project and allocated to various units within that project using specific identification and allocation based upon the relative sales value, unit or area methods. Direct construction costs are assigned to units based on specific identification. Construction costs primarily include direct construction costs and capitalized field overhead. Other costs are comprised of fees, capitalized interest and real estate taxes. We also use our best estimate at the end of a reporting period to capitalize estimated construction and development costs. Costs incurred to sell real estate are capitalized to the extent they are reasonably expected to be recovered from the sale of the project and are tangible assets or services performed to obtain regulatory approval of sales. Other selling costs are expensed as incurred.

For assets held for development and use, a write-down to estimated fair value is recorded when the net carrying value of the property exceeds its estimated undiscounted future cash flows. Estimated fair value is based on comparable sales of real estate in the normal course of business under existing and anticipated market conditions. These evaluations are made on a property-by-property basis whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the net book value may not be recoverable.

 

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If the project is considered held for sale, it is valued at the lower of cost or fair value less estimated selling costs. The evaluation takes into consideration the current status of the property, carrying costs, costs of disposition, various restrictions and any other circumstances that may affect fair value including management’s plans for the property. At December 31, 2017 and 2016, the Company had no projects classified as held for sale.

During 2017 and 2016, as a result of our impairment analysis, the Company wrote off $0.5 million and $2.4 million, respectively, in feasibility, site securing, predevelopment, design, carry costs and related costs for certain of our communities in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area due to unsuccessful negotiations and changes in market conditions. Additionally, during 2016, the Company, through its subsidiaries, and the land seller of a community in the Washington, D.C. area entered into a settlement agreement, and the Company received a refund of $0.7 million representing a portion of the deposit deemed impaired during the Company’s impairment analysis in 2015.

After impairments and write-offs, real estate held for development and sale consists of the following:

 

     December 31,
2017
     December 31,
2016
 

Land and land development costs

   $ 24,304      $ 33,355  

Cost of construction (including capitalized interest and real estate taxes)

     20,407        16,487  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
   $ 44,711      $ 49,842  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

5. FIXED ASSETS, NET

Fixed assets consist of the following:

 

     December 31,
2017
     December 31,
2016
 

Computer equipment and capitalized software

   $ 731      $ 704  

Furniture and fixtures

     51        52  

Office equipment

     209        45  

Vehicles

     42        —    
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
     1,033        801  

Less : accumulated depreciation

     (724      (546
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
   $ 309      $ 255  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Depreciation and amortization expense, included in ‘general and administrative’ in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations, amounted to $178 and $181 for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

6. NOTE RECEIVABLE

The Company originated a note receivable to a third party in the amount of $180 during 2014. This note has a maturity date of September 2, 2019 and is payable in monthly installments of principal and interest. The note bears a fixed interest rate of 6% per annum. As of December 31, 2017 and 2016, the outstanding balance of the note was $66 and $103, respectively, and was included within ‘Other assets’ in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets, the interest income of $5 and $7 for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively, was included in ‘Other income, net’ in the consolidated statements of operations.

7. GOODWILL AND INTANGIBLES

On July 17, 2017, JK Environmental Services, LLC, (“JK”) an entity wholly owned by CDS Capital Management, L.C., a subsidiary of Comstock, purchased all of the business assets of Monridge Environmental, LLC for $2.3 million. JK has its principal office located in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, and operates in Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. JK operates as an environmental services company, providing consulting, remediation, and other environmental services.

Based on an evaluation of the provisions of Accounting Standards Codification Topic 805, Business Combinations, (“ASC 805”), JK Environmental Services, LLC was determined to be the acquirer for accounting purposes. The table below summarizes the purchase price allocation based on the estimated fair value of net assets acquired at the date of acquisition.

 

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ASSETS

  

Net Working Capital

   $ 141  

Net Fixed Assets

     180  

Intangible Assets

     268  

Goodwill

     1,702  
  

 

 

 

Total Purchase Price

   $ 2,291  
  

 

 

 

Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed, and it is not deductible for income tax purposes. As of the acquisition date, goodwill consisted primarily of synergies resulting from the combination, expected expanded opportunities for growth and production, and savings in corporate overhead costs.

 

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Intangible assets include customer relationships which has an amortization period of four years.

 

     December 31,
2017
 

Goodwill

   $ 1,702  

Intangibles

     268  
  

 

 

 
     1,970  

Less : accumulated amortization

     (31
  

 

 

 
   $ 1,939  
  

 

 

 

As of December 31, 2017, the future estimated amortization expense related to these intangible assets was:

 

     Amortization
Expense
 

2018

   $ 67  

2019

     67  

2020

     67  

2021

     36  

2022 and thereafter

     —    
  

 

 

 

Total

   $ 237  
  

 

 

 

8. OTHER ASSETS

Other assets consist of the following:

 

     December 31,
2017
     December 31,
2016
 

Prepaid project costs

   $ —        $ 989  

Deferred financing cost—line of credit

     —          1,286  

Bonds and escrow deposits

     380        221  

Other

     905        846  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
     1,285        3,342  

Less : accumulated amortization

     (669      (1,230
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
   $ 616      $ 2,112  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

9. ACCOUNTS PAYABLE AND ACCRUED LIABILITIES

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities consist of the following:

 

     December 31,
2017
     December 31,
2016
 

Trade and accrued payables

   $ 8,279      $ 6,925  

Warranty

     258        287  

Customer deposits

     575        497  

Other

     4        12  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
   $ 9,116      $ 7,721  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

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10. DEBT

Notes payable consisted of the following:

 

     December 31,
2017
     December 31,
2016
 

Construction revolvers

   $ 7,337      $ 6,429  

Development and acquisition notes

     11,584        16,278  

Mezzanine notes

     1,244        1,424  

Line of credit

     2,131        2,929  

Secured-other

     1,069        —    
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total secured notes

     23,365        27,060  

Deferred financing charges, net of amortization

     (150      (133
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net secured notes

     23,215        26,927  

Unsecured financing, net of unamortized deferred financing charges of $55 and $121

     1,285        911  

Notes payable, unsecured, net of $2.0 and $2.1 million discount and unamortized deferred financing charges, respectively

     14,893        15,866  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total notes payable

   $ 39,393      $ 43,704  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

As of December 31, 2017, maturities of our borrowings are as follows:

 

2018

   $ 33,510  

2019

     4,080  

2020

     124  

2021

     —    

2022 and thereafter

     1,679  
  

 

 

 

Total

   $ 39,393  
  

 

 

 

We are in active discussions with our lenders with respect to the 2018 maturities and are seeking extensions and modifications to the credit facilities and loans as necessary. See Note 22 for further discussion on repayments and extensions subsequent to December 31, 2017.

Construction, development and mezzanine debt—secured

The Company enters into secured acquisition and development loan agreements to purchase and develop land parcels. In addition, the Company enters into secured construction loan agreements for the construction of its real estate inventories. The loans are repaid with proceeds from home closings based upon a specific release price, as defined in each respective loan agreement.

As of December 31, 2017 and 2016, the Company had secured construction revolving credit facilities with a maximum loan commitment of $24.8 million and $26.6 million, respectively. The Company may borrow under these facilities to fund its homebuilding activities. The amount the Company may borrow is subject to applicable borrowing base provisions and the number of units under construction, which may also limit the amount available or outstanding under the facilities. The facilities are secured by deeds of trust on the real property and improvements thereon, and the borrowings are repaid with the net proceeds from the closings of homes sold, subject to a minimum release price. As of December 31, 2017 and 2016, the Company had approximately $17.5 million and $20.2 million, respectively, of unused loan commitments. The Company had $7.3 million and $6.4 million of outstanding construction borrowings as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively. Interest rates charged under these facilities include the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) and prime rate pricing options, subject to minimum interest rate floors. At December 31, 2017 and 2016, the weighted average interest rate on the Company’s outstanding construction revolving facility was 4.7% and 4.6%, respectively. The secured debt facilities have maturity dates ranging from January 2018 to February 2019, including extensions subject to certain conditions. Subsequent to year end, during the first quarter of 2018, $7.4 million of the outstanding construction revolving credit facilities at December 31, 2017 matured therefore, the Company secured extensions for these facilities. See Note 22 for further discussions on the extensions.

 

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As of December 31, 2017 and 2016, the Company had approximately $28.5 million and $27.8 million, respectively, of aggregate acquisition and development maximum loan commitments of which $11.6 million and $16.3 million, respectively, was outstanding. The acquisition and development loans have maturity dates ranging from January 2018 to March 2019, including auto extension subject to certain conditions and bear interest at a rate based on LIBOR and Prime Rate pricing options, with interest rate floors ranging from 4.5% to 12.0%. As of December 31, 2017 and 2016, the weighted average interest rates were 7.1% per annum and 5.2% per annum, respectively.

During 2017 and 2016, the Company had one mezzanine loan that is being used to finance the development of the Momentum | Shady Grove project. The maximum principal commitment amount of this loan was $1.1 million, of which $1.2 and $1.4 million, respectively, of principal and accrued interest was outstanding at December 31, 2017 and 2016. This financing carries an annual interest rate of 12% of which 6% is paid on a monthly basis with the remaining 6% being accrued and paid at maturity. This financing has a maturity date of June 30, 2018 and is guaranteed by the Company and our Chief Executive Officer.

Line of credit – secured

At December 31, 2017 and 2016, the Company had a secured revolving line of credit amounting to $3.0 million, of which $2.1 million and $2.9 million was outstanding at December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively. This line of credit is secured by the first priority security interest in the Company’s wholly owned subsidiaries in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area and is used to finance the predevelopment related expenses and deposits for current and future projects. This line of credit bears a variable interest rate tied to one-month LIBOR plus 3.25% per annum, with an interest rate floor of 5.0%. At December 31, 2017 and 2016, the interest rate was 5.00%. This line of credit also calls for the Company to adhere to financial covenants such as, minimum net worth and minimum liquidity, measured quarterly and minimum EBITDA, as defined in the agreement, measured on a twelve month basis. The Company obtained a waiver from the financial institution for not meeting the minimum EBITDA measure and the minimum liquidity requirement as of December 31, 2017, but was in compliance with the minimum net worth requirement as dictated by the line of credit agreement as of December 31, 2017. This line of credit is guaranteed by our Chief Executive Officer. This line of credit matures on June 30, 2018.

Secured – other

As of December 31, 2017, the Company had one secured loan related to the newly created entity, JK, with an outstanding balance of $1.1 million. This financing carries a fixed interest rate of 6.0%, and has a maturity date of October 17, 2022. This financing is secured by the assets of JK and is guaranteed by our Chief Executive Officer.

Unsecured notes

At December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, the Company had $0.6 million and $1.0 million, respectively, outstanding to a bank under a 10-year unsecured note maturing December 28, 2018. Interest is charged on this financing at LIBOR plus 2.2%. At December 31, 2017 and 2016, the interest rate was 3.6% and 2.9%, respectively. The Company is required to make monthly principal and interest payments through maturity.

As of December 31, 2017, the Company had two unsecured seller-financed promissory notes with outstanding balances totaling $0.7 million. The first note, in the amount of $0.1 million, carries an annual interest rate of the prime rate plus 5%. This financing has a maturity date of February 27, 2020, and is guaranteed by our Chief Executive Officer. As of December 31, 2017, the interest rate was 9.5%. The second note, resulting from the newly created entity, JK, on July 17, 2017, has an outstanding balance of $0.6 million as of December 31, 2017. This financing carries an annual interest rate of LIBOR plus 3% and has a maturity date of July 17, 2022. At December 31, 2017, the interest rate was 4.56%. See Note 7 for further discussion of the business acquisition.

Notes payable to affiliate—unsecured

Comstock Growth Fund

On October 17, 2014, Comstock Growth Fund (“CGF”) entered into a subscription agreement with Comstock Development Services (“CDS”), pursuant to which CDS purchased membership interests in CGF for a principal amount of $10.0 million (the “CGF Private Placement”). Other purchasers who subsequently purchased interests in the private placement included members of the Company’s management and board of directors and other third party accredited investors for an additional principal amount of $6.2 million.

On October 17, 2014, the Company entered into an unsecured promissory note with CGF whereby CGF made a loan to the Company in the initial principal amount of $10.0 million and a maximum amount available for borrowing of up to $20.0 million with a three year term (the “Original Promissory Note”). On December 18, 2014, the loan agreement was amended and restated to provide for a maximum capacity of $25.0 million. The loan bears interest at a floating rate based on the 30 day LIBOR plus 9.75% per annum with a 10% floor per annum. Interest payments will be made monthly in arrears. There is a principal curtailment requirement of 10%

 

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annually based on the average outstanding balance for the prior year. The Company is the administrative manager of CGF but does not own any membership interests. The Company had approximately $11.3 million and $12.6 million of outstanding borrowings under the CGF loan, net of discounts, as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively. As of December 31, 2017, and 2016, the interest rate was 11.9% and 10.4% per annum, respectively. For the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, the Company made interest payments of $1.5 million and $1.6 million, respectively. During the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, the Company made principal payments to CGF of $1.5 million and $1.6 million, respectively. Subsequent to year end, the Company secured an extension on the CGF loan, providing for a new maturity date of April 16, 2019. See Note 22 for further discussion on the extension.

Comstock Growth Fund II

On December 29, 2015, the Company entered into a revolving line of credit promissory note with Comstock Growth Fund II (“CGF II”) whereby CGF II made a loan to the Company in the initial principal amount of $5.0 million and a maximum amount available for borrowing of up to $10.0 million with a two-year term, which may be extended an additional year. The interest rate is 10% per annum, and interest payments will be accrued and paid in kind monthly for the first year, and then paid current monthly in arrears beginning December 31, 2016. The funds obtained from the loan are being used by the Company (i) to capitalize the Company’s current and future development pipeline, (ii) to repay all or a portion of the Company’s prior private placements, and (iii) for general corporate purposes. On December 29, 2017, the CGF II loan was extended one year to December 29, 2018. As of December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, $3.6 million and $3.3 million, respectively, was outstanding in principal and accrued interest under the CGF II loan.

11. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Litigation

Currently, we are not subject to any material legal proceedings. From time to time, we are named as a defendant in legal actions arising from our normal business activities. Although we cannot accurately predict the amount of our liability, if any, that could arise with respect to legal actions pending against us, we do not expect that any such liability will have a material adverse effect on our financial position, operating results or cash flows. We have obtained insurance coverage, rights to indemnification, or where appropriate, have established reserves in connection with these legal proceedings.

Letters of credit, performance bonds and compensating balances

The Company has commitments as a result of contracts entered into with certain third parties, primarily local governmental authorities, to meet certain performance criteria as outlined in such contracts. The Company is required to issue letters of credit and performance bonds to these third parties as a way of ensuring that the commitments entered into are met. These letters of credit and performance bonds issued in favor of the Company and/or its subsidiaries mature on a revolving basis, and if called into default, would be deemed material if assessed against the Company and/or its subsidiaries for the full amounts claimed. In some circumstances, we have negotiated with our lenders in connection with foreclosure agreements for the lender to assume certain liabilities with respect to the letters of credit and performance bonds. We cannot accurately predict the amount of any liability that could be imposed upon the Company with respect to maturing or defaulted letters of credit or performance bonds. At December 31, 2017 and 2016, the Company had issued $1.1 million in letters of credit. At December 31, 2017 and 2016, the Company had $4.0 million and $4.2 million in performance and payment bonds, respectively, outstanding to third parties. No amounts have been drawn against these letters of credit or performance bonds.

We are required to maintain compensating balances in escrow accounts as collateral for certain letters of credit, which are funded upon settlement and release of units. The cash contained within these escrow accounts is subject to withdrawal and usage restrictions. As of December 31, 2017 and 2016, we had approximately $1.0 million and $0.8 million, respectively, in these escrow accounts, which are included in ‘Restricted cash’ in the consolidated balance sheets.

12. FAIR VALUE DISCLOSURES

ASC 820, Fair Value Measurement, establishes a framework for measuring fair value, expands disclosures regarding fair value measurements and defines fair value as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. ASC 820 specifies a hierarchy of valuation techniques based on whether the inputs to a fair value measurement are considered to be observable or unobservable in a marketplace. The three measurement input levels for determining fair value are as follows

 

  Fair values determined by Level 1 inputs utilize quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the Company has the ability to access.

 

  Fair values determined by Level 2 inputs utilize inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly. Level 2 inputs include quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, and inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or liability, such as interest rates and yield curves that are observable at commonly quoted intervals.

 

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  Level 3 inputs are unobservable inputs for the asset or liability, and include situations where there is little, if any, market activity for the asset or liability. An asset’s or liability’s level within the fair value hierarchy is based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement.

The carrying amounts reported in the consolidated balance sheets for cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, and accounts payable are reasonable estimates of their fair values based on their short maturities.

The fair value of fixed and floating rate debt is based on unobservable inputs (Level 3 inputs). The fair value of the fixed and floating rate debt was estimated using a discounted cash flow analysis on the blended borrower rates currently available to the Company for loans with similar terms. The following table summarizes the fair value of fixed and floating rate debt and the corresponding carrying value of fixed and floating rate debt as of:

 

     December 31,
2017
     December 31,
2016
 

Carrying amount

   $ 39,393      $ 43,704  

Fair value

   $ 38,899      $ 44,986  

 

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Fair value estimates are made at a specific point in time, based on relevant market information about the financial instruments. These estimates are subjective in nature and involve uncertainties and matters of significant judgment and therefore, cannot be determined with precision. Changes in assumptions, such as an acceleration of amounts due and payable, could significantly affect the estimates.

The Company may also value its non-financial assets and liabilities, including items such as real estate inventories and long-lived assets, at fair value on a non-recurring basis if it is determined that impairment has occurred. Such fair value measurements use significant unobservable inputs and are classified as Level 3. See Note 2 for further discussion of the valuation techniques and inputs used.

During 2017 and 2016, as a result of our impairment analysis, the Company wrote off $0.5 million and $2.4 million, respectively, in feasibility, site securing, predevelopment, design, carry costs and related costs for certain of our communities in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area due to unsuccessful negotiations and changes in market conditions. Additionally, during 2016, the Company, through its subsidiaries, and the land seller of a community in the Washington, D.C. area entered into a settlement agreement, and the Company received a refund of $0.7 million representing a portion of the deposit deemed impaired during the Company’s impairment analysis in 2015.

13. EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLANS

The Company maintains a defined contribution retirement savings plan pursuant to Section 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”). Eligible participants may contribute a portion of their compensation to their respective retirement accounts in an amount not to exceed the maximum allowed under the Code. The Company matches 100% of the employee’s contribution, up to 3% of each participant’s gross salary and 50% of the employee’s contribution above 3% not exceeding 4% of the participant’s gross salary, per pay period. Contributions made by the Company become fully vested after six years of service. The total amount matched during the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 was $35 and $56, respectively.

14. RESTRICTED STOCK, STOCK OPTIONS AND OTHER STOCK PLANS

On December 14, 2004, the Company adopted the 2004 Long-Term Compensation Plan (the “Plan”). The Plan provides for the issuance of stock options, stock appreciation rights, or SARs, restricted stock, deferred stock, dividend equivalents, bonus stock and awards in lieu of cash compensation, other stock-based awards and performance awards. Any shares issued under the Plan typically vest over service periods that range from one to five years. Stock options issued under the plan expire 10 years from the date they are granted.

The Plan authorized 1.0 million shares of our Class A Common Stock with an automatic annual increase on January 1 of each successive year of the lesser of (i) 3% of the Class A common stock outstanding or (ii) 107 shares. As of December 31, 2017 and 2016, there were 0.4 million and 0.3 million shares, respectively, available for issuance under the Plan (as amended).

The fair value of each option award is calculated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model and certain subjective assumptions. Expected volatilities are calculated based on our historical trading activities. We estimate forfeitures using a weighted average historical forfeiture rate. Our estimates of forfeitures will be adjusted over the requisite service period based on the extent to which actual forfeitures differ, or are expected to differ, from their estimate. The risk-free rate for the periods is based on the U.S. Treasury rates in effect at the time of grant. The expected term of options is based on the simplified method which assumes that the option will be exercised midway between the vesting date and the contractual term of the option. The Company is able to use the simplified method as the options qualify as “plain vanilla” options as defined by ASC 718, Stock Compensation.

 

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The following table summarizes the assumptions used to calculate the fair value of options during 2017. No options were granted in 2016.

 

     2017  

Weighted average fair value of options granted

   $ 1.20  

Dividend yields

     —    

Expected volatility

     70.60%-79.40

Weighted average expected volatility

     72.73

Risk free interest rates

     2.15

Weighted average expected term (in years)

     6.25  

 

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The following table summarizes information about stock option activity:

 

     Shares      Weighted
Average
Exercise Price
     Aggregate
Intrinsic
Value
 

Outstanding at January 1, 2016

     174      $ 8.39     

Granted

     —          —       

Exercised

     —          —       

Forfeited or Expired

     (62      8.82     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

Outstanding at December 31, 2016

     112      $ 8.16     

Granted

     345        1.89     

Exercised

     —          —       

Forfeited or Expired

     (21      7.06     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

Outstanding at December 31, 2017

     436      $ 3.25      $ —    
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Exercisable at December 31, 2017

     86      $ 8.46      $ —    
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

As of December 31, 2017 and 2016, the weighted-average remaining contractual term of unexercised stock options was 8.5 years and 4.8 years, respectively.

A summary of the Company’s restricted share activity is presented below:

 

     Shares      Weighted
Average Grant
Date Fair Value
 

Restricted nonvested at January 1, 2016

     12      $ 12.42  

Granted

     20        1.89  

Vested

     (12      12.42  

Forfeited or Expired

     —          —    
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Outstanding at December 31, 2016

     20      $ 1.89  

Granted

     245        2.13  

Vested

     (22      1.88  

Forfeited or Expired

     —          —    
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Nonvested at December 31, 2017

     243      $ 2.16  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

As of December 31, 2017 and 2016, there was $0.6 million and $0.1 million, respectively, of unrecognized compensation cost related to stock options and restricted stock issuances granted under the Plan. The Company intends to issue new shares of its common stock upon vesting of restricted stock grants or the exercise of stock options.

In November 2014, our board of directors approved a share repurchase program authorizing the Company to repurchase up to 429 thousand shares of our Class A common stock in one or more open market or privately negotiated transactions depending on market price and other factors.

At December 31, 2017 and 2016, 404 thousand shares of our Class A common stock remain available for repurchase pursuant to our share repurchase agreement.

 

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15. CONSOLIDATION OF VARIABLE INTEREST ENTITIES

GAAP requires a VIE to be consolidated by the company that is the primary beneficiary. The primary beneficiary of a VIE is the entity that has both of the following characteristics: (a) the power to direct the activities of a VIE that most significantly impact the VIE’s economic performance and (b) the obligation to absorb losses of the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE or the right to receive benefits from the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE. Entities determined to be VIEs, for which we are not the primary beneficiary, are accounted for under the equity method. Comstock’s variable interests in VIEs may be in the form of (1) equity ownership, (2) contracts to purchase assets and/or (3) loans provided to and or guaranteed for a VIE. We examine specific criteria and use judgment when determining if Comstock is the primary beneficiary of a VIE. Factors considered in determining whether we are the primary beneficiary include risk and reward sharing, experience and financial condition of other partner(s), voting rights, involvement in day-to-day capital and operating decisions and contracts to purchase assets from VIEs.

Consolidated Real Estate Inventories

Included within the Company’s real estate inventories at December 31, 2017 and 2016 are several projects that are determined to be VIEs. These entities have been established to own and operate real estate property and were deemed VIEs primarily based on the fact that the equity investment at risk is not sufficient to permit the entities to finance their activities without additional financial support. The Company determined that it was the primary beneficiary of these VIEs as a result of its majority voting and complete operational control of the entities.

On August 23, 2012, the Company formed New Hampshire Ave. Ventures, LLC, a joint venture of its subsidiary, Comstock Ventures XVI, L.C, and 6000 New Hampshire Avenue, LLC, for the purpose of acquiring, developing and constructing a 111-unit project (the “NHA Project”) in Washington, D.C. The Company evaluated the joint venture and determined that the equity investment at risk is not sufficient to permit the entity to finance its activities without additional financial support. The Company determined that it was the primary beneficiary of the VIE as a result of its complete operational control of the activities that most significantly impact the economic performance and obligation to absorb losses, or receive benefits. The Company contributed its ownership interest in Comstock Ventures XVI, L.C. to Comstock Investors VII, L.C. (“Comstock VII”) on March 13, 2013. During 2016, New Hampshire Ave. Ventures, LLC distributed $1.9 million to its non-controlling interest member, 6000 New Hampshire Avenue, LLC. No such distributions were made during 2017.

In December 2013, Comstock Investors VIII, L.C. (“Comstock VIII”) entered into subscription agreements with certain accredited investors (“Comstock VIII Class B Members”), pursuant to which Comstock VIII Class B Members purchased membership interests in Comstock VIII for an aggregate amount of $4.0 million (the “Comstock VIII Private Placement”). In connection with the Comstock VIII Private Placement, the Company issued 15 warrants for the purchase of shares of the Company’s Class A common stock to the non-affiliated accredited investors, having an aggregate fair value of $131. Comstock VIII Class B Members included unrelated third-party accredited investors along with members of the Company’s board of directors and the Company’s former Chief Operating Officer and the former Chief Financial Officer. The Comstock VIII Class B Members are entitled to a cumulative, preferred return of 20% per annum, compounded annually on their capital account balances. The Company has the right to repurchase the interests of the Comstock VIII Class B Members at any time, provided that (i) all of the Comstock VIII Class B Members’ interests are acquired, (ii) the purchase is made in cash and (iii) the purchase price equals the Comstock VIII Class B Members’ capital accounts plus an amount necessary to cause the preferred return to equal a cumulative cash on cash return equal to 20% per annum. The proceeds from the Comstock VIII Private Placement have been used for the construction of the following projects: The Townes at HallCrest in Sterling, Virginia consisting of 42 townhome units, and Townes at Maxwell Square Condominium in Frederick, Maryland consisting of 45 townhome condominium units (collectively, the “Investor VIII Projects”). The Company evaluated Comstock VIII and determined that the equity investment at risk is not sufficient to permit the entity to finance its activities without additional financial support and the Company was the primary beneficiary as a result of its complete operational control of the activities that most significantly impact the economic performance and its obligation to absorb losses, or receive benefits accordingly, the Company consolidates this entity. During 2016 the Company paid distributions in the amount of $3.1 million, to the Comstock VIII Class B Members. In January 2017, the Company fully redeemed the remaining equity interest of Class B Members in Comstock VIII after paying $1.9 million in distributions.

In June 2015, Comstock Investors IX, L.C. (“Comstock IX”) entered into subscription agreements with third-party accredited investors (“Comstock IX Class B Members”), pursuant to which Comstock IX Class B Members purchased membership interests in Comstock IX for an aggregate amount of $2.5 million (the “Comstock IX Private Placement”). The Comstock IX Class B Members are entitled to a cumulative, preferred return of 20% per annum, compounded annually on their capital account balances. The Company has the right to repurchase the interests of the Comstock IX Class B Members at any time, provided that (i) all of the Comstock IX Class B Members’ interests are acquired, (ii) the purchase is made in cash and (iii) the purchase price equals the Comstock IX Class B Members’ capital accounts plus any amount necessary to cause the preferred return to equal a cumulative cash on cash return equal to 20% per annum. The Company evaluated Comstock IX and determined that the equity investment at risk is not sufficient to permit the entity to finance its activities without additional financial support and the Company was the primary beneficiary as a result of its complete operational control of the activities that most significantly impact the economic performance and its obligation to absorb losses or receive benefits. Accordingly, the Company consolidates this entity. In October 2017, the Company fully redeemed the remaining equity interest of Class B Members in Comstock IX after paying $3.5 million in distributions. No such distributions were made in 2016.

 

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In August 2016, Comstock Investors X, L.C. (“Comstock X”) entered into a subscription agreement with an accredited investor (“Comstock X Class B Member”), pursuant to which the Comstock X Class B Member purchased membership interests in Comstock X for an initial amount of $5.0 million, which is part of an aggregate capital raise of $14.5 million (the “Comstock X Private Placement”). The Comstock X Class B Member is Comstock Development Services, LC (“CDS”), an entity wholly owned by Christopher Clemente, our Chief Executive Officer. In October 2016, the Comstock X Class B Member purchased additional interests in the Comstock X Private Placement in an amount of $9.5 million resulting in an aggregate subscription amount of $14.5 million. In connection with the Comstock X Private Placement, the Company issued a total of 150 warrants for the purchase of shares of the Company’s Class A common stock, having an aggregate fair value of $258. The Comstock X Member is entitled to a cumulative, preferred return of 6% per annum, compounded annually on the capital account balance. The Company has the right to repurchase the interest of the Comstock X Class B Member at any time, provided that (i) all of the Comstock X Class B Members’ interest is acquired, (ii) the purchase is made in cash and (iii) the purchase price equals the Comstock X Class B Members’ capital account plus accrued priority return. In October 2017, the Operating Agreement for Comstock X was amended to increase the maximum capital raise to $19.5 million. Additionally, in October 2017, Comstock X received proceeds of $5.0 million under the amended Operating Agreement to be used for the planned construction of the Company’s Totten Mews, Towns at 1333, Richmond Station, and Marwood East projects. As part of this additional contribution, 50,000 warrants for the purchase of the Company’s Class A common stock, having an aggregate fair value of $258. The Company evaluated Comstock X and determined that the equity investment at risk is not sufficient to permit the entity to finance its activities without additional financial support and the Company was the primary beneficiary of the VIE as a result of its complete operational control of the activities that most significantly impact the economic performance and its obligation to absorb losses, or receive benefits. Accordingly, the Company consolidates this entity. During 2017, the Company distributed $1.0 million to its non-controlling interest member. No such distributions were made during 2016.

At December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, the distributions and contributions for the VIEs discussed above are included within the ‘non-controlling interest’ classification in the consolidated statement of changes in stockholder’s equity.

At December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, total assets of these VIEs were approximately $30.6 million and $38.1 million, respectively, and total liabilities were approximately $15.9 million and $18.5 million, respectively. The classification of these assets is primarily within ‘real estate inventories’ and the classification of liabilities are primarily within ‘notes payable – secured by real estate inventories’ and ‘accounts payable and accrued liabilities’ in the consolidated balance sheets.

Land purchase options

The Company typically acquires land for development at market prices under fixed price purchase agreements. The purchase agreements require deposits that may be forfeited if the Company fails to perform under the agreements. The deposits required under the purchase agreements are in the form of cash or letters of credit in varying amounts. The Company may, at its option, choose for any reason and at any time not to perform under these purchase agreements by delivering notice of its intent not to acquire the land under contract. The Company’s sole legal obligation and economic loss for failure to perform under these purchase agreements is typically limited to the amount of the deposit pursuant to the liquidated damages provision contained within the purchase agreement. As a result, none of the creditors of any of the entities with which the Company enters into forward fixed price purchase agreements have recourse to the general credit of the Company.

The Company does not share in an allocation of either the profit earned or loss incurred by any of these entities with which the Company has fixed price purchase agreements. The Company has concluded that whenever it options land or lots from an entity and pays a significant non-refundable deposit as described above, a variable interest entity is created under the provisions of ASC 810-10, Consolidation. This is because the Company has been deemed to have provided subordinated financial support, which creates a variable interest which limits the equity holder’s returns and may absorb some or all of an entity’s expected theoretical losses if they occur. The Company, therefore, examines the entities with which it has fixed price purchase agreements for possible consolidation by the Company under the provision of ASC 810-10. The Company does not have any contractual or ownership interests in the entities with which it contracts to buy the land. The Company concluded that it does not have the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the economic performance of the VIEs, including the power to site plan and engineer the developments, finance the parcels under option contract, and develop the raw parcels under option contract into finished lots. The third party retains these rights under the fixed purchase price agreements until title is transferred to the Company upon settlement of the transaction, or a portion of the transactions as defined. Therefore, the Company has not consolidated these VIEs in the consolidated balance sheets. As of December 31, 2017, the Company did not have any outstanding land purchase options.

 

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16. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

The Company has a lease for its corporate headquarters from an affiliate wholly-owned by our CEO. Future minimum lease payments under this lease, which expires in 2018, is $0.2 million.

For each of the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, total rental payments made were $0.2 million and $0.3 million, respectively. Rent expense for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 was $0.2 million and $0.3 million, respectively.

On February 23, 2009, Comstock Homes of Washington, L.C., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, entered into a Services Agreement with Comstock Asset Management, L.C., an entity wholly-owned by the Chief Executive Officer, to provide services related to real estate development and improvements, legal, accounting, marketing, information technology and additional support services. For the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, the Company billed Comstock Asset Management, L.C. $1.1 million and $0.9 million, respectively, for services and out-of-pocket expenses incurred. Revenues from this arrangement are included within ‘Revenue – other’ within the accompanying consolidated statements of operations. As of December 31, 2017 and 2016, the Company was owed $145 and $132, respectively, under this contract, which is included in ‘Trade receivables’ in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.

On October 17, 2014, CGF entered into a subscription agreement with CDS pursuant to which CDS purchased membership interests in CGF for a principal amount of $10.0 million. Other purchasers who purchased interest in the private placement included members of the Company’s management and board of directors and other third party, accredited investors for an additional principal amount of $6.2 million.

Simultaneously, on October 17, 2014, the Company entered into an unsecured promissory note with CGF whereby CGF made a loan to the Company in the initial principal amount of $10.0 million and a maximum capacity of up to $20.0 million. On December 18, 2014, the loan agreement was amended and restated to provide for a maximum capacity of $25.0 million. All of the other terms of the unsecured promissory note remained the same. The Company borrowed additional principal loan amount of $6.2 million under the Amended and Restated CGF promissory note bringing the total aggregate principal amount borrowed to $16.2 million. The CGF loan has a three-year term carrying a floating interest rate of LIBOR plus 9.75% with a 10% floor. The loan requires an annual principal repayment in the amount of 10% of the average outstanding balance and a monthly interest payment that will be made in arrears. See Note 10 for further discussion of transactions entered with CGF.

On December 18, 2014, CGF entered into amended and restated subscription agreements with CDS, members of the Company’s management and board of directors and the other third party accredited investors who participated in the CGF Private Placement (the “Amended CGF Private Placement”). Under the Amended CGF Private Placement, in addition to the warrants described above, the Company entered into a commitment to grant 226,857 shares of our Class A common stock to the purchasers in the Amended CGF Private Placement. On May 12, 2015, the Company issued 226,857 un-registered shares of its Class A common stock to the purchasers in the Amended CGF Private Placement. The Amended CGF Private Placement was closed for additional investments on May 15, 2015.

On December 29, 2015, the Company and Stonehenge Funding, L.C. (“Stonehenge”), an entity wholly owned by our Chief Executive Officer, entered into a Note Exchange and Subscription Agreement pursuant to which the note in the original principal amount of $4.5 million issued to the Company by Stonehenge was cancelled in its entirety and exchanged for 772,210 shares of the Company’s Series B Non-Convertible Preferred Stock, par value $0.01 per share and a stated value of $5.00 per share (the “Series B Preferred Stock”). The number of shares of Series B Preferred Stock received by Stonehenge in exchange for the note represented the principal amount outstanding plus accrued interest under the note as of December 29, 2015, which was $3.9 million. The holders of Series B Preferred Stock earn dividends at a rate of 8.75% per annum accruing from the effective date of the Note Exchange and Subscription Agreement.

On December 29, 2015, the Company entered into a revolving line of credit promissory note with CGF II whereby CGF II made a loan to the Company in the initial principal amount of $5.0 million and a maximum amount available for borrowing of up to $10.0 million with a two-year term, which may be extended an additional year. The interest rate is 10% per annum, and interest payments will be accrued and paid in kind monthly for the first year, and then paid current monthly in arrears beginning December 31, 2016. On December 29, 2017, the CGF II loan was extended one year to December 29, 2018. As of December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, $3.6 million and $3.3 million, respectively, was outstanding in principal and accrued interest under the CGF II loan.

On March 22, 2017, the Company entered into a Share Exchange Agreement with the holders of the Company’s Series B Preferred Stock pursuant to which the Company exchanged 858,210 shares of the Company’s Series B Preferred Stock for 772,210 shares of the Company’s newly created Series C Non-Convertible Preferred Stock, par value $0.01 per share and a stated value of $5.00 per share. The Series C Preferred Stock has a discretionary dividend feature, as opposed to the mandatory dividend feature in the Series B Preferred Stock. The Series B Preferred Stock, together with all accrued dividends earned through the conversion date,

 

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was retired upon re-acquisition and the fair value of the Series C Preferred Stock is recorded in ‘Stockholders’ equity’ in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. The difference in fair value from the extinguishment of the Series B Preferred Stock and issuance of the Series C Preferred Stock of $1,011 was recorded in the accompanying consolidated statement of operations. For the year ended December 31, 2017, 15,663 shares of the Series B Preferred Stock, with a liquidation value of $78, were paid-in-kind, and were retired in the conversion. For the year ended December 31, 2016, 69,639 shares of the Series B Preferred Stock, with a liquidation value of $348, were paid in-kind, and are included in ‘Stockholders’ equity’ in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.

See Note 15 for a summary of the Comstock VII Private Placement and the Comstock VIII Private Placement which involved certain of our officers and directors and Note 10 to the consolidated financial statements for further description of the CGF Private Placement and the CGF II Private Placement.

See Note 15 for a summary of the Comstock X Private Placement which involved a wholly owned entity of the Chief Executive Officer of the Company.

17. WARRANTS

As part of the Comstock VII Private Placement discussed in Note 15, the Company issued warrants to purchase shares of the Company’s Class A common stock to the Comstock VII Class B Members who are not officers, directors or affiliates of the Company and who purchased membership interests in the offering that equaled or exceeded an initial investment amount of $250. The warrants represent the right to purchase an aggregate amount of up to 16 shares of the Company’s Class A common stock. The warrants have an initial exercise price which is equal to the average of the closing price of the Company’s Class A common stock of the 20 trading days preceding the issuance of the warrants. The warrants contain a cashless exercise provision. In the event the purchasers exercise the warrants on a cashless basis, the Company will not receive any proceeds. The warrants may be exercised at any time prior to March 14, 2023.

In addition, as part of the Comstock VIII Private Placement discussed in Note 15, the Company issued warrants to purchase shares of the Company’s Class A common stock to the Comstock VIII Class B Members who are not officers, directors or affiliates of the Company and who purchased membership interests that equaled or exceeded an initial investment amount of $250. The warrants represent the right to purchase an aggregate amount of up to 15 shares of the Company’s Class A common stock. The warrants have an initial exercise price which is equal to the average of the closing price of the Company’s Class A common stock of the 20 trading days preceding the issuance of the warrants. The warrants contain a cashless exercise provision. In the event the purchasers exercise the warrants on a cashless basis, the Company will not receive any proceeds. The warrants may be exercised at any time prior to December 12, 2023.

Also, as part of the Comstock X Private Placement discussed in Note 15, the Company issued warrants to purchase shares of the Company’s Class A common stock to the Comstock X Class B Member. The warrants represent the right to purchase an aggregate amount of up to 150 shares of the Company’s Class A common stock. The warrants have an initial exercise price which is equal to the average of the closing price of the Company’s Class A common stock of the 20 trading days preceding the issuance of the warrants. The warrants contain a cashless exercise provision. In the event the purchasers exercise the warrants on a cashless basis, the Company will not receive any proceeds. The warrants may be exercised at any time prior to August 15, 2026.

As part of the additional $5.0 million contribution received from Comstock X in October 2017, an additional 50 warrants to purchase the Company’s Class A common stock were issued. These warrants have the same terms and provisions as the original 150 warrants issued in August 2016. These warrants may be exercised any time prior to October 16, 2027.

As discussed in Note 10, as part of the CGF Private Placement, depending upon the investment amount, purchasers of interests in CGF other than CDS received warrants that represent the right to purchase a certain number of shares of the Company’s Class A common stock. For purchasers who are not affiliates or insiders, the warrants have initial exercise prices ranging from $4.91 to $7.63. The exercise prices of the warrants to affiliates and insiders range from $7.30 to $7.63. The warrants contain a cashless exercise provision. In the event a purchaser exercises the warrant on a cashless basis, the Company will not receive any proceeds. The warrants may be exercised at any time within ten years from the date of issuance. As of December 31, 2017, the warrants represent the right to purchase an aggregate amount of up to 76 shares of our Class A common stock.

In connection with entering into the SunBridge (“BridgeCom”) loan agreement in 2011, the Company issued warrants to purchase shares of the Company’s Class A common stock to BridgeCom Development I, LLC, an affiliate of SunBridge. The warrants represent the right to purchase an aggregate amount of up to 143 shares of the Company’s Class A common stock. The warrants have an initial exercise price of $7.21. The warrants contain a cashless exercise provision. In the event the purchasers exercise the warrants on a cashless basis, the Company will not receive any proceeds. The warrants may be exercised at any time prior to July 12, 2021. On May 29, 2012, the Company repaid the SunBridge loans in full and the SunBridge warrants remain unexercised as of December 31, 2017.

 

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18. UNCONSOLIDATED JOINT VENTURE

The Company accounts for its interest in its title insurance joint venture using the equity method of accounting and adjusts the carrying value for its proportionate share of earnings, losses and distributions. The investment in the unconsolidated joint venture was $27 and $54 as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively, and is included within ‘Other assets, net’ in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. Earnings for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, from this unconsolidated joint venture of $53 and $87, respectively, is included in ‘Other income, net’ in the accompanying consolidated statement of operations. During the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, the Company collected and recorded a distribution of $83 and $102, respectively, from this joint venture as a return on investment.

Summarized unaudited financial information for the unconsolidated joint venture is as follows:

 

     Twelve Months Ended
December 31,
 
     2017      2016  

Statement of Operations:

     

Total net revenue

   $ 219      $ 290  

Total expenses

     114        117  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net income

   $ 105      $ 173  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Comstock Holding Companies, Inc. share of net income

   $ 53      $ 87  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

19. INCOME TAXES

During the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company recognized income tax expense of $38 thousand and the effective tax rate was 0.91%. During the year ended December 31, 2016, the Company recognized income tax expense of $55 thousand and the effective tax rate was 0.82%.

Deferred income taxes reflect the net tax effects of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for income tax purposes. The Company recorded valuation allowances for certain tax attributes and other deferred tax assets. At this time, sufficient uncertainty exists regarding the future realization of these deferred tax assets through future taxable income. If, in the future, the Company believes that it is more likely than not that these deferred tax benefits will be realized, the valuation allowances will be reversed. With a full valuation allowance, any change in the deferred tax asset or liability is fully offset by a corresponding change in the valuation allowance.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was enacted on December 22, 2017, resulting in significant changes to the taxation of corporations and individuals. For corporate taxpayers, the Tax Act lowers the corporate tax rate, from 35% to 21%, which requires the Company to re-measure net deferred tax assets in the period of enactment as a discrete item within the income tax provision. As of result of the decrease in the federal tax rate, a decrease of net deferred tax assets of approximately $20 million was recorded. This decrease is substantially offset by the Company’s valuation allowance.

The Company currently has approximately $144 million in federal and state Net Operating Losses (“NOLs), which based on current statutory tax rates, including the lower corporate tax rate enacted by the Tax Act. If unused, these NOLs will begin expiring in 2027. Under Code Section 382 (“Section 382”) rules, if a change of ownership is triggered, the Company’s NOL assets and possibly certain other deferred tax assets may be impaired. We estimate that as of December 31, 2017, the three-year cumulative shift in ownership of the Company’s stock has not triggered an impairment of our NOL asset. However, if an ownership change were to occur, the Section 382 limitation would not be expected to materially impact the Company’s financial position or results of operations as of December 31, 2017, because the Company has recorded a full valuation allowance on substantially all of its net deferred tax assets.

The Company’s ability to use its NOLs (and in certain circumstances, future built-in losses and depreciation deductions) can be negatively affected if there is an “ownership change” as defined under Section 382. In general, an ownership change occurs whenever there is a shift in ownership by more than 50 percentage points by one or more 5% stockholders over a specified time period (generally three years). Given Section 382’s broad definition, an ownership change could be the unintended consequence of otherwise normal market trading in the Company’s stock that is outside of the Company’s control. In an effort to preserve the availability of these NOLs, Comstock adopted a Section 382 rights agreement, which expired in May 2014. In June 2015, at the 2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, the Company’s stockholders approved a new Internal Revenue Code Section 382 Rights Agreement (the “Rights Agreement”) to protect stockholder value. The Rights Agreement expires on March 27, 2025. The Rights Agreement was adopted to reduce the likelihood of such an unintended “ownership change”, thus preserving the value of these tax benefits. Similar plans have been adopted by a number of companies holding similar significant tax assets over the past several years.

The Company has not recorded any accruals related to uncertain tax positions as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively. We file U.S. and state income tax returns in jurisdictions with varying statutes of limitations. The 2014 through 2016 tax years remain subject to examination by federal and most state tax authorities. The income tax provision consists of the following as of December 31:

 

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     2017      2016  

Current:

     

Federal

   $ —        $ —    

State

     24        37  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
     24        37  

Deferred:

     

Federal

     15,171        3,967  

State

     2,724        742  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
     17,895        4,709  

Valuation allowance

     (17,881      (4,691
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total income tax expense

   $ 38      $ 55  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Deferred income taxes reflect the net tax effects of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for income tax purposes. Components of the Company’s deferred tax assets and liabilities at December 31, 2017 and 2016 are as follows:

 

     2017      2016  

Deferred tax assets:

     

Inventory

   $ 834      $ 1,766  

Warranty

     67        113  

Net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards

     37,045        53,721  

Accrued expenses

     4        7  

Stock based compensation

     352        387  

Investment in affiliates

     48        —    
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
     38,350        55,994  

Less—valuation allowance

     (38,328      (55,739
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net deferred tax assets

     22        255  

Deferred tax liabilities:

     

Depreciation and amortization

     (21      (46

Investment in affiliates

     —          (209

Goodwill amortization

     (15      —    
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net deferred tax liabilities

     (36      (255
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net deferred tax assets (liabilities)

   $ (14    $ —    
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

A reconciliation of the statutory rate and the effective tax rate after adjustments for non-includable partnership income arising from non-controlling interest follows:

 

     2017     2016  

Federal statutory rate

     (35.00 %)      (35.00 %) 

State income taxes—net of federal benefit

     (3.90 %)      (3.90 %) 

Permanent differences

     (10.94 %)      (12.87 %) 

Return to provision adjustments

     5.18     (18.16 %) 

Change in valuation allowance

     (417.08 %)      69.93

Current state income tax

     0.56     0.82

Change in enacted rate

     462.23     0.00

Other, net

     (0.15 %)      0.00
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Effective tax rate

     0.91     0.82
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

F-30


Table of Contents

20. PREFERRED STOCK

On March 22, 2017, the Company entered into a Share Exchange Agreement with the holders of the Company’s Series B Preferred Stock pursuant to which the Company exchanged 858,210 shares of the Company’s Series B Preferred Stock for 772,210 shares of the Company’s newly created Series C Non-Convertible Preferred Stock, par value $0.01 per share and a stated value of $5.00 per share. The Series C Preferred Stock has a discretionary dividend feature, as opposed to the mandatory dividend feature in the Series B Preferred Stock. The Series B Preferred Stock, together with all accrued dividends earned through the conversion date, was retired upon re-acquisition and the fair value of the Series C Preferred Stock is recorded in ‘Stockholders’ equity’ in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. The difference in fair value from the extinguishment of the Series B Preferred Stock and issuance of the Series C Preferred Stock of $1,011 was recorded in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations. For the year ended December 31, 2017, 15,663 shares of the Series B Preferred Stock, with a liquidation value of $78, were paid-in-kind, and were retired in the conversion. For the year ended December 31, 2016, 69,639 shares of the Series B Preferred Stock, with a liquidation value of $348, were paid in-kind, and are included in ‘Stockholders’ equity’ in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.

21. QUARTERLY RESULTS (unaudited)

Quarterly results for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 are as follows (in thousands, except per share amounts):

 

     Three months ended  
     March 31,      June 30,      September 30,      December 31,  
     2017      2017      2017      2017  

Revenues

   $ 10,268      $ 10,520      $ 13,815      $ 10,827  

Operating loss

     (684      (563      (1,193      (2,366

Loss before income tax expense

     (664      (535      (1,172      (2,369

Net loss

     (664      (535      (1,201      (2,378

Net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders

     286        387        (1,510      (3,255

Basic income (loss) per share

     0.09        0.12        (0.45      (0.98

Diluted income (loss) per share

     0.08        0.11        (0.45      (0.98
     Three months ended  
     March 31,      June 30,      September 30,      December 31,  
     2016      2016      2016      2016  

Revenues

   $ 9,706      $ 9,978      $ 13,103      $ 8,793  

Operating loss

     (1,271      (1,442      (854      (3,297

Loss before income tax expense

     (1,263      (1,429      (756      (3,259

Net loss

     (1,288      (1,461      (756      (3,257

Net loss attributable to common stockholders

     (1,724      (1,995      (1,046      (4,576

Basic loss per share

     (0.55      (0.60      (0.34      (1.38

Diluted loss per share

     (0.55      (0.60      (0.34      (1.38

22. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

On January 15, 2018, the Company extended its revolving acquisition and construction loans related to The Towns at 1333 Project. The loans had an initial maturity date of January 15, 2018 and the subsequent extensions provide for a maturity date January 19, 2019. All other terms of the original agreements remain in full force and effect. As of December 31, 2017, the Company had $5.2 million in outstanding borrowings under this revolving credit facility.

On March 15, 2018, the Company extended its credit line deed of trust note for acquisition and construction related to the Woods at Spring Ridge Project. The note had an initial maturity date of March 15, 2018 and the subsequent extension provides for a maturity date of June 15, 2018. The note is modified to state that the lender, after June 15, 2018, shall have no obligation to approve a new construction loan under the construction line for any lot or unit pursuant to the loan approval conditions set forth in the loan agreement or to make any further advances of loan proceeds under the loans. All other terms and conditions of the original agreements remain in full force and effect. As of December 31, 2017, the Company had $2.2 million in outstanding borrowings under this revolving credit facility.

On March 30, 2018, CDS Asset Management, L.C. (“CAM”), an entity wholly owned by the Company, entered into a master asset management agreement (“the Agreement”) with Comstock Development Services LC (“CDS”), an entity wholly owned by Christopher Clemente, the Chief Executive Officer of the Company. The effective date of this agreement is January 2, 2018. Entering into the Agreement is part of the Company’s strategic plan to transform its business model from for-sale homebuilding to commercial development, asset management and real estate services. The Company intends to concurrently wind down its current for-sale homebuilding business.

Pursuant to the Agreement, CDS will pay CAM an annual cost-plus fee (the “Annual Fee”) in an aggregate amount equal to the sum of (i) the employment expenses of personnel dedicated to providing services to the Comstock Real Estate Portfolio pursuant to the Agreement, (ii) the costs and expenses of the Company related to maintaining the listing of its shares on a securities exchange and complying with regulatory and reporting obligations as a public company, and (iii) a fixed annual payment of $1,000,000.

On April 16, 2018, the Company extended its notes payable with Comstock Growth Fund I. This loan had a maturity date of April 16, 2018 and the extension provides for a maturity date of April 16, 2019. As of December 31, 2017, the Company had $11.3 million of principal and interest, net of discounts, outstanding under the credit facility.

 

 

F-31